title: Mitochondrial amyloid-beta peptide: pathogenesis or late-phase development?
abstract: Mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction have been linked to Alzheimer's disease for some time. Key questions regarding this association concern the nature and mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction, and whether such changes in metabolic properties are pathogenic or secondary, with respect to neuronal degeneration. In terms of mitochondria and Alzheimer's, altered function could reflect intrinsic properties of this organelle, potentially due to mutations in mitochondrial DNA, or extrinsic changes secondary to signal transduction mechanisms activated in the cytosol. This review presents data relevant to these questions, and considers the implication of recent findings demonstrating the presence of amyloid-beta peptide in mitochondria, as well as intra-mitochondrial molecular targets with which it can interact. Regardless of the underlying mechanism(s), it is likely that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to oxidant stress which is commonly observed in brains of patients with Alzheimer's and transgenic models of Alzheimer's-like pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Shi Du
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Wen-Cheng
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Stern
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases