title: Amyloid-specific T-cells differentiate Alzheimer's disease from Lewy body dementia.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies are the most common neurodegenerative dementias in old age. Accurate diagnosis of these conditions has important clinical implications because they tend to be confounded. In the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients amyloid-beta is produced in excess and deposited as plaques, forming the hallmark of this condition. Lymphocytes have been implicated in the process of amyloid-beta removal and inflammation occurrence. Here we investigated peripheral amyloid-beta1-42-specific T-cells by multicolor flow cytometry to simultaneously detect and characterize activation markers and cell signaling proteins (phospho-protein kinase C) in patients with Alzheimer's disease or Lewy body dementia and in healthy controls. Results indicate that only Alzheimer's disease patients display small subsets of peripheral amyloid-beta1-42-specific T-cells, characterized by bright expression of phosphorylated-protein kinase C-delta or -zeta whose significance although discussed, is far from being understood. The identification of such subsets, anyhow, may strongly contribute to distinguish Alzheimer's disease from dementia with Lewy bodies, opening possible new routes to early therapeutic strategies.
authors.affiliation: Cell Signalling Unit, Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lanuti
authors.forename: Fausta
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ciccocioppo
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonanni
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marchisio
authors.forename: Raskit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lachmann
authors.forename: Naji
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tabet
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pierdomenico
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santavenere
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Catinella
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iacone
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gambi
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miscia
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onofrj
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kern
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D011494:Protein Kinases