title: Intracellular accumulation of beta-amyloid(1-42) in neurons is facilitated by the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Amyloid beta(1-42), a major component of amyloid plaques, binds with exceptionally high affinity to the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and accumulates intracellularly in neurons of Alzheimer's disease brains. In this study, we investigated the possibility that this binding plays a key role in facilitating intraneuronal accumulation of amyloid beta(1-42). Consecutive section immunohistochemistry and digital imaging were used to reveal the spatial relationship between amyloid beta(1-42) and the alpha 7 receptor in affected neurons of Alzheimer's disease brains. Results showed that neurons containing substantial intracellular accumulations of amyloid beta(1-42) invariably express relatively high levels of the alpha 7 receptor. Furthermore, this receptor is highly co-localized with amyloid beta(1-42) within neurons of Alzheimer's disease brains. To experimentally test the possibility that the binding interaction between exogenous amyloid beta(1-42) and the alpha 7 receptor facilitates internalization and intracellular accumulation of amyloid beta(1-42) in Alzheimer's disease brains, we studied the fate of exogenous amyloid beta(1-42) and its interaction with the alpha 7 receptor in vitro using cultured, transfected neuroblastoma cells that express elevated levels of this receptor. Transfected cells exhibited rapid binding, internalization and accumulation of exogenous amyloid beta(1-42), but not amyloid beta(1-40). Furthermore, the rate and extent of amyloid beta(1-42) internalization was related directly to the alpha 7 receptor protein level, since (1) the rate of amyloid beta(1-42) accumulation was much lower in untransfected cells that express much lower levels of this receptor and (2) internalization was effectively blocked by alpha-bungarotoxin, an alpha 7 receptor antagonist. As in neurons of Alzheimer's disease brains, the alpha 7 receptor in transfected cells was precisely co-localized with amyloid beta(1-42) in prominent intracellular aggregates. Internalization of amyloid beta(1-42) in transfected cells was blocked by phenylarsine oxide, an inhibitor of endocytosis. We suggest that the intraneuronal accumulation of amyloid beta(1-42) in Alzheimer's disease brains occurs predominantly in neurons that express the alpha 7 receptor. In addition, internalization of amyloid beta(1-42) may be facilitated by the high-affinity binding of amyloid beta(1-42) to the alpha 7 receptor on neuronal cell surfaces, followed by endocytosis of the resulting complex. This provides a plausible explanation for the selective vulnerability of neurons expressing the alpha 7 receptor in Alzheimer's disease brains and for the fact that amyloid beta(1-42) is the dominant amyloid beta peptide species in intracellular accumulations and amyloid plaques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, 08084, USA. naglero@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Nagele
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: D'Andrea
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: H-Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000502:physiology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004705:Endocytosis; D018728:Entorhinal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; C579167:Chrna7 protein, human; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42)