Apolipoprotein E isoform-specific reduction of extracellular amyloid in neuronal cultures.
Both apolipoprotein E (apoE) and amyloid peptides are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using primary hippocampal neurons, we demonstrate that apoE is capable of reducing potentially toxic extracellular amyloid peptides, likely through a receptor mediated mechanism. We hypothesize that isoform-specific differences in apoE-mediated amyloid clearance and intracellular accumulation may be responsible, at least in part, for the increased number of amyloid plaques observed in apoE epsilon4 allele AD individuals.
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats