title: Tg-SwDI transgenic mice exhibit novel alterations in AbetaPP processing, Abeta degradation, and resilient amyloid angiopathy.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of extracellular insoluble amyloid, primarily derived from polymerized amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides. We characterized the chemical composition of the Abeta peptides deposited in the brain parenchyma and cerebrovascular walls of triple transgenic Tg-SwDI mice that produce a rapid and profuse Abeta accumulation. The processing of the N- and C-terminal regions of mutant AbetaPP differs substantially from humans because the brain parenchyma accumulates numerous, diffuse, nonfibrillar plaques, whereas the thalamic microvessels harbor overwhelming amounts of compact, fibrillar, thioflavine-S- and apolipoprotein E-positive amyloid deposits. The abundant accretion of vascular amyloid, despite low AbetaPP transgene expression levels, suggests that inefficient Abeta proteolysis because of conformational changes and dimerization may be key pathogenic factors in this animal model. The disruption of amyloid plaque cores by immunotherapy is accompanied by increased perivascular deposition in both humans and transgenic mice. This analogous susceptibility and response to the disruption of amyloid deposits suggests that Tg-SwDI mice provide an excellent model in which to study the functional aftermath of immunotherapeutic interventions. These mice might also reveal new avenues to promote amyloidogenic AbetaPP processing and fundamental insights into the faulty degradation and clearance of Abeta in AD, pivotal issues in understanding AD pathophysiology and the assessment of new therapeutic agents.
authors.affiliation: The Longtine Center for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Van Vickle
authors.forename: Chera L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Esh
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Daugs
authors.forename: Tyler A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Kokjohn
authors.forename: Walter M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Kalback
authors.forename: R Lyle
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.forename: Dean C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Luehrs
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Lih-Fen
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Lue
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.forename: Judianne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Van Nostrand
authors.forename: Eduardo M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Castaño
authors.forename: Alex E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Roher
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000378:metabolism; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D016657:Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019281:Dimerization; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D013844:Thiazoles; C009462:thioflavin T