title: CD40 signaling and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.
abstract: The interaction between CD40 and its cognate ligand, CD40 ligand, is a primary regulator of the peripheral immune response, including modulation of T lymphocyte activation, B lymphocyte differentiation and antibody secretion, and innate immune cell activation, maturation, and survival. Recently, we and others have identified CD40 expression on a variety of CNS cells, including endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, astroglia and microglia, and have found that, on many of these cells, CD40 expression is enhanced by pro-inflammatory stimuli. Importantly, the CD40-CD40 ligand interaction on microglia triggers a series of intracellular signaling events that are discussed, beginning with Src-family kinase activation and culminating in microglial activation as evidenced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion. Based on the involvement of microglial activation and brain inflammation in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, we have investigated co-stimulation of microglia, smooth muscle, and endothelial cells with CD40 ligand in the presence of low doses of freshly solubilized amyloid-beta peptides. Data reviewed herein show that CD40 ligand and amyloid-beta act synergistically to promote pro-inflammatory responses by these cells, including secretion of interleukin-1 beta by endothelial cells and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by microglia. As these cytokines have been implicated in neuronal injury, a comprehensive model of pro-inflammatory CD40 ligand and amyloid-beta initiated Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis (mediated by multiple CNS cells) is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Roskamp Institute, University of South Florida, 3515 E. Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, FL 33613, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Town
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mullan
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000502:physiology; D019013:CD40 Antigens / Q000502:physiology*; D023201:CD40 Ligand / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D006801:Humans; D017628:Microglia / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D019013:CD40 Antigens; D023201:CD40 Ligand