title: Transient appearance of amyloid precursor protein plaques in the brain of thymectomized rats after human leptomeningeal cell grafts.
abstract: Cells cultured from Alzheimer disease leptomeninges or skin were grafted into the cortex of adult thymectomized rats. At 3 days post-implant, plaque-like aggregates were found in the cortex, corpus callosum, septum and caudate nucleus. These structures were immunopositive for human amyloid precursor protein (APP), human amyloid beta peptide (Abeta), cathepsin D, apolipoprotein E and ubiquitin. Aberrant tau+ neurites, reactive astrocytes and microglia were associated with many aggregates. Although birefringent amyloid occupied the central area of most aggregates, these structures had disappeared by l month post-implant. Abeta and APP produced by grafted non-neural human cells can penetrate rat brain and form plaque-like structures, which can be effectively cleared by the rat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University at the Burke Medical Research Institute, 785 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605, USA. ldegiorg@burke.org
authors.forename: Lorraine A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: DeGiorgio
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manuelidis
authors.forename: Jerald J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000378:metabolism; D004058:Diffusion; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008578:Meninges / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000637:transplantation; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013934:Thymectomy; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D025801:Ubiquitin; D002402:Cathepsin D