title: Neuronal expression of GFAP in patients with Alzheimer pathology and identification of novel GFAP splice forms.
abstract: Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is considered to be a highly specific marker for glia. Here, we report on the expression of GFAP in neurons in the human hippocampus. Intriguingly, this neuronal GFAP is coded by out-of-frame splice variants and its expression is associated with Alzheimer pathology. We identified three novel GFAP splice forms: Delta 135 nt, Delta exon 6 and Delta 164 nt. Neuronal GFAP is mainly observed in the pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus of Alzheimer and Down syndrome patients and aged controls, but not in neurons of patients suffering from hippocampal sclerosis. Apparently, the hippocampal neurons in patients with Alzheimer's disease pathology are capable of expressing glia-specific genes.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Meibergdreef 33, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.hol@nih.knaw.nl
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hol
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Roelofs
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moraal
authors.forename: M A F
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sonnemans
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sluijs
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Proper
authors.forename: P N E
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: de Graan
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D018965:Frameshifting, Ribosomal; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D016364:Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D012598:Sclerosis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger