Pattern of interleukin-6 receptor complex immunoreactivity between cortical regions of rapid autopsy normal and Alzheimer's disease brain.
Involvement of the interleukin-6 receptor complex (IL-6RC) in neuroregulatory and immunological processes of the brain and particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been hypothesized. The functionally active IL-6RC consists of the cytokine IL-6, which acts through the ligand binding IL-6R and the signal transducing gp130. Using a new immunocytochemical protocol on rapid autopsy cryostat brain sections we studied the expression of the IL-6RC in Braak IV-V staged AD patients compared to normal age-matched controls (HC) across five different cortical regions. Inter-rater reliability of the method was high. The "baseline" expression in normal human brain was determined for IL-6,IL-6R and gp130 in all cortical regions. In normal tissue IL-6 expression was lower in parietal cortex. Higher IL-6R expression was shown in frontal, occipital and parietal cortex, lower expression in temporal cortex and cerebellum. In AD IL-6 expression levels were generally increased in parietal cortex and decreased in occipital cortex compared to controls. IL-6R expression levels were strongly increased in AD frontal and occipital cortex and decreased in temporal cortex and cerebellum. Our findings indicate an altered cortical immunoreactivity pattern of the functional IL-6RC in AD supporting the hypothesis of a disease-related role of IL-6 in AD pathophysiology.
Hampel
Harald
H
Alzheimer Memorial Centre, Geriatric Psychiatric Branch, Dementia Research Section, Dept. of Psychiatry Ludwig-Maximilian University, 80336 Munich, Germany. hampel@psy.med.uni-muenchen.de
Haslinger
Andreas
A
Scheloske
Michael
M
Padberg
Frank
F
Fischer
Petra
P
Unger
Josef
J
Teipel
Stefan Johannes
SJ
Neumann
Michaela
M
Rosenberg
Carlyn
C
Oshida
Rusti
R
Hulette
Christine
C
Pongratz
Dieter
D
Ewers
Michael
M
Kretzschmar
H A
HA
Möller
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D058966:Contactins; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000378:metabolism; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
D058966:Contactins; D016207:Cytokines; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6