Pregnancy Zone Protein is Increased in the Alzheimer's Disease Brain and Associates with Senile Plaques.
Increased levels of pregnancy zone protein (PZP) were found in the serum of persons who later developed Alzheimer's disease (AD) in comparison to controls who remained dementia free. We suggested that this increase is due to brain derived PZP entering the blood stream during the early phase of the disease. Here we investigate the possible involvement of PZP in human AD pathogenesis. We observed increased PZP immunoreactivity in AD postmortem brain cortex compared to non-demented controls. In the AD cortex, PZP immunoreactivity localized to microglial cells that interacted with senile plaques and was occasionally observed in neurons. Our data link the finding of elevated serum PZP levels with the characteristic AD pathology and identify PZP as a novel component in AD.
Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Diana A T
DA
Nijholt
Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Linda
L
Ijsselstijn
Department of Pathology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Marcel M
MM
van der Weiden
Department of Pathology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Ping-Pin
PP
Zheng
Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Peter A E
PA
Sillevis Smitt
Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Peter J
PJ
Koudstaal
Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Theo M
TM
Luider
Department of Pathology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Johan M
JM
Kros
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D000073883:CX3C Chemokine Receptor 1; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003933:Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000378:metabolism; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000906:Antibodies; D000073883:CX3C Chemokine Receptor 1; C095235:CX3CR1 protein, human; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; C472887:PZP protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase
Alzheimer’s disease; microglia; pregnancy zone protein