title: Amyloid beta-protein stimulates the expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) in human cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells.
abstract: The accumulation of fibrillar amyloid-beta protein (A beta) in cerebral blood vessels, a condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), is a key pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease and certain related disorders and is intimately associated with cerebrovascular cell death both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, severe CAA leads to loss of vessel wall integrity and cerebral hemorrhage. Although the basis for these latter pathological consequences in CAA remains unresolved alterations in local proteolytic mechanisms may be involved. Here we show that pathogenic forms of A beta stimulate the expression of plasminogen activator activity in cultured human cerebrovascular smooth muscle (HCSM) cells, an in vitro model of CAA. RNase protection assays and plasminogen zymography showed that urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) was responsible for this activity. There was preferential accumulation of uPA on the HCSM cell surface that was mediated through a concomitant increase in expression of the uPA receptor. In the presence of plasminogen there was robust degradation of A beta that was added to the HCSM cells resulting in restoration of cell viability. This suggests that increased expression of uPA may initially serve as a protective mechanism leading to localized degradation and clearance of the pathogenic stimulus A beta. On the other hand, chronic expression of uPA and plasminogen activation led to a profound loss of HCSM cell attachment. This suggests that a similar prolonged effect in vivo in the cerebral vessel wall may contribute to loss of integrity and cerebral hemorrhage in CAA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-8153, USA.
authors.forename: Judianne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Weibing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Van Nostrand
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016657:Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D010958:Plasminogen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; C524898:PLAUR protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D010958:Plasminogen; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator