Patients with Alzheimer disease have lower levels of serum anti-amyloid peptide antibodies than healthy elderly individuals.
Active immunization with the human amyloid peptide (Abeta42) or passive immunization with anti-Abeta42 antibodies protects mice that express a mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgene from cerebral amyloid deposits. If anti-Abeta42 antibodies protect APP-transgenic mice, a model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a high titer of anti-Abeta42 antibodies may protect humans from AD. The titer of anti-Abeta42 antibodies in serum from individuals with and without late onset AD was measured using an ELISA. The titer of Ig (IgM, IgG and IgA) and IgG anti-Abeta42 peptide antibodies was significantly higher in serum from elderly controls than AD patients. Furthermore, IgG but not Ig anti-Abeta42 antibodies distinguished sera from AD patients and elderly controls that did not have the apolipoprotein E4 allele. The low titer of anti-Abeta42 antibodies in AD patients does not reflect the well-established, age-associated defect in the antibody response to most protein antigens, as there was no positive correlation between the serum titer of anti-Abeta42 antibodies and anti-influenza hemagglutinin antibodies induced by influenza vaccine in elderly humans. The lower titer of serum anti-Abeta42 peptide antibodies in AD patients may reflect the reported specific impairment of helper T cell activity for B cells that produce anti-amyloid-beta42 peptide antibodies in APP-transgenic mice.
Weksler
Marc E
ME
Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA. mweksler@pasteur.fr
Relkin
Norman
N
Turkenich
Rimma
R
LaRusse
Susan
S
Zhou
Ling
L
Szabo
Paul
P
D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000276:immunology*; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*
D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D007074:Immunoglobulin G