title: Analysis of heterogeneous A4 peptides in human cerebrospinal fluid and blood by a newly developed sensitive Western blot assay.
abstract: The betaA4 peptide, a major component of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, has been found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood of both AD patients and normal subjects. Although betaA4 1-40 is the major form produced by cell metabolism and found in CSF, recent observations suggest that the long-tailed betaA4 1-42 plays a more crucial role in AD pathogenesis. Here, we established new monoclonal antibodies against the C-terminal end of betaA4 1-40 and 1-42, and used them for the specific Western blot detection. After optimizing the assay conditions, these antibodies detected low picogram amount of betaA4, and both betaA4 1-40 and 1-42 levels in CSF could be determined by direct loading of the samples. Blood levels of betaA4 1-40 and 1-42 were also determined by specific immunoprecipitation followed by Western blot detection. We found that CSF betaA4 1-42 level is lower in AD patients compared with non-demented controls, although there was a significant overlap between the groups. The level of betaA4 1-40 in CSF, and of betaA4 1-40 as well as betaA4 1-42 in plasma, were not different between AD patients and controls. Besides the 4-kDa full-length betaA4 band, we could also detect several N-terminal variants of betaA4 in CSF and plasma of both AD patients and controls. Two N-terminally truncated betaA4 species migrating at the position of 3.3 and 3.7 kDa were found in CSF, while 3.7- and 5-kDa forms were found in plasma. The relative abundance of these various species were considerably different in the CSF and plasma, suggesting that the cellular source and/or clearance of betaA4 is different in these two compartments.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Biology Heidelberg (ZMBH), University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ida
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pantel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zerfass
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Förstl
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sandbrink
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Beyreuther
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D010446:Peptide Fragments