title: Immunohistochemical localization of neprilysin in the human cerebral cortex: inverse association with vulnerability to amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) deposition.
abstract: We investigated the immunohistochemical localization of neprilysin, a putative amyloid beta-protein (Abeta)-degrading enzyme, in postmortem human brain tissues. In the cerebral cortex, neprilysin immunoreactivity was weak, but relatively dense distribution was found in the primary somatosensory and visual cortices compared with the hippocampus and association cortices. In Alzheimer brain, neprilysin-positive dystrophic neurites occurred in senile plaques in the primary cortices, an observation that supports the relative abundance of neprilysin-positive neuronal processes. A paucity of neprilysin in the hippocampus and association cortices may contribute to the vulnerability of these areas to Abeta deposition.
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, 2-1-8 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, 156-8585, Tokyo, Japan. akiyama@prit.go.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: McGeer
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015260:Neprilysin / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015260:Neprilysin