Showing papers on "Neurodegeneration published in 1995"

Polyglutamine expansion as a pathological epitope in Huntington's disease and four dominant cerebellar ataxias

Abstract: A POLYGLUTAMINE expansion (encoded by a CAG repeat) in specific proteins causes neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease (HD) and four other disorders1–6, by an unknown mechanism thought to involve gain of function or toxicity of the mutated protein7,8. The pathological threshold is 37–40 glutamines in three of these diseases, whereas the corresponding normal proteins contain polymorphic repeats of up to about 35 glutamines1–3. The age of onset of clinical manifestations is inversely correlated to the length of the polyglutamine expansion. Here we report the characterization of a monoclonal antibody that selectively recognizes polyglutamine expansion in the proteins implicated in HD and in spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) 1 and 3. The intensity of signal depends on the length of the polyglutamine expansion, and the antibody also detects specific pathological proteins expected to contain such expansion, in SCA2 and in autosomal dominant cere-bellar ataxia with retinal degeneration, whose genes have not yet been identified9–13.

The Alzheimer's A Beta Peptide Induces Neurodegeneration and Apoptotic Cell Death in Transgenic Mice

Abstract: To test whether the hypothesis that the Alzheimer's Aβ peptide is neurotoxic, we introduced a transgene into mice to direct expression of this peptide to neurons. We show that the transgene is expressed in brain regions which are severely affected in Alzheimer's disease resulting in extensive neuronal degeneration. Morphological and biochemical evidence indicates that the eventual death of these cells occurs by apoptosis. Coincident with the cell degeneration and cell death is the presence of a striking reactive gliosis. Over 50% of the transgenic mice die by 12 months of age, half the normal life span of control mice. These data show that Aβ is neurotoxic in vivo and suggest that apoptosis may be responsible for the accompanying neuronal loss, the principal underlying cellular feature of Alzheimer's disease.

Defective axonal transport in a transgenic mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease of motor neurons, characterized by depositions of neurofilaments in the perikarya and proximal axons. The pathogenesis of ALS remains poorly understood, but two lines of evidence suggest that neurofilament accumulation may play a causal role. First, transgenic mice that overexpress neurofilament proteins show motor neuron degeneration and, second, variant alleles of the neurofilament heavy-subunit gene (NF-H) have been found in some human ALS patients. To investigate how disorganized neurofilaments might cause neurodegeneration, we examined axonal transport of newly synthesized proteins in mice that overexpress the human NF-H gene. We observed dramatic defects of axonal transport, not only of neurofilament proteins but also of other proteins, including tubulin and actin. Ultrastructural analysis revealed a paucity of cytoskeletal elements, smooth endoplasmic reticulum and especially mitochondria in the degenerating axons. We therefore propose that the neurofilament accumulations observed in these mice cause axonal degeneration by impeding the transport of components required for axonal maintenance, and that a similar mechanism may account for the pathogenesis of ALS in human patients.

A potential role for apoptosis in neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides are neurotoxic. Recent data suggest that neurons undergoing Aβ-induced cell death exhibit characteristics that correspond to the classical features of apoptosis, suggesting that these cells may initiate a program of cell death. This chapter explores the criteria and precautions that must be applied to evaluate mechanisms of cell death in vitro and in vivo, discusses the evidence supporting an apoptotic mechanism of cell death in response to Aβ in cultured neurons, and describes potential correlations for these findings in the Alzheimer's disease brain. In addition, cellular signaling pathways that may be associated with apoptosis in response to Aβ are examined, and support for apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death for other neurodegeneration-inducing stimuli (e.g., oxidative injury) is described. The connection of multiple stimuli that induce neuronal cell death to an apoptotic mechanism suggests that apoptosis could play a central role in neurodegeneration in the brain.

Intrastriatal implantation of fibroblasts genetically engineered to produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor prevents degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

Abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Although various treatments are successfully used to alleviate the symptoms of PD, none of them prevents or halts the neurodegenerative process of the disease. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family of proteins, supports the survival and the differentiation of dopaminergic neurons. BDNF also prevents the death of dopaminergic neurons in vitro, which suggests that it may be of possible use in the development of neuroprotective therapies for PD. To determine whether BDNF is neuroprotective for SNpc dopaminergic neurons in the adult brain, we used a rat model of PD in which degeneration of 60-70% of these neurons was induced by an intrastriatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). We report here that intrastriatal grafts of fibroblasts genetically engineered to produce BDNF partially prevent the loss of nerve terminals and completely prevent the loss of cell bodies of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway that is induced by the intrastriatal injection of 6-OHDA. In contrast, the implantation of control fibroblasts that did not produce BDNF failed to protect nerve terminals and cell bodies against 6-OHDA-induced damage. Our observation that grafts of BDNF-producing fibroblasts protect against 6-OHDA-induced degeneration of SNpc dopaminergic neurons in the adult rat brain opens new perspectives for treatments aimed at the prevention of neurodegeneration in PD, using gene therapy and neurotrophic factors such as BDNF.

Huntington's disease gene: Regional and cellular expression in brain of normal and affected individuals

Abstract: Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by involuntary movements, dementia, and progressive, global, but regionally accentuated, brain atrophy. The disease affects the striatum most severely. An expansion of a trinucleotide repeat on chromosome 4p16.3 within the coding region of a gene termed IT15 has been identified as the mutation causing HD. The normal function of IT15 and the mechanisms by which the presence of the mutation causes HD are unknown. Although IT15 expression has been detected in the brain, as well as in other organ tissues, by Northern blot and in situ hybridization, it is not known whether a preferential regional or cellular expression of IT15 exists within the central nervous system of normal, affected, and presymptomatic individuals. Using quantitative in situ hybridization methods, we examined extensively the regional and cellular expression of IT15. In controls, IT15 expression was observed in all brain regions examined with the highest levels seen in cerebellum, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, substantia nigra pars compacta, and pontine nuclei. Expression in the striatum was intermediate and expression in the globus pallidus was low. IT15 was expressed predominantly in neurons; a low but significant level of expression was seen in glial cells. Analysis of grain counts per square micrometer in neurons showed that the regional differences in the level of mRNA expression were related to density and size of neurons in a given region and not primarily to differences in levels of mRNA expression in individual cells after correction for cell size. Neurons susceptible to degeneration in HD did not selectively express high levels of IT15 mRNA. In HD brains (grades 2-4), the distribution and levels of IT15 mRNA were comparable with controls in all areas except in neostriatum where the intensity of labeling was significantly reduced. Presymptomatic HD brains had a striatal expression similar to controls and surviving striatal neurons in more advanced HD had an expression of IT15 within normal limits. It is apparent from these results that the presence of expanded trinucleotide repeats in HD does not result in the absence of IT15 mRNA expression or in altered patterns or levels of expression. The lack of correlation between the levels of IT15 mRNA expression and susceptibility to degeneration in HD strongly suggests that the mutant gene acts in concert with other factors to cause the distinctive pattern of neurodegeneration in HD.

Inflammatory processes induce beta -amyloid precursor protein changes in mouse brain

Abstract: In Alzheimer disease, a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors may contribute to changes in beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression, beta-amyloid peptide deposition, and neuronal loss. Factors such as head injury or acute infection that trigger inflammatory processes may play a crucial role in development of the disease. In the present in vivo study, we showed that, in mouse brain, peripheral stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced a transient increase in the inflammatory cytokine mRNAs (interleukin 1 beta and interleukin 6), followed by changes in expression of APP isoforms in the cerebellum but not in the cerebral cortex. These changes consisted of a decrease in the APP-695 and an increase in the Kunitz protease inhibitor-bearing isoforms (KPI-APP). In the cerebellum of the staggerer mouse mutant, where a severe loss of Purkinje and granule cells occurs, basal mRNA levels of these interleukins were elevated and an increase in the KPI-APP/APP-695 ratio compared to wild-type mice was observed. These abnormalities were further accentuated by LPS stimulation. This study shows that acute and chronic inflammatory processes play an important role in changes in APP expression possibly associated with neurodegeneration.

Mechanisms of synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline in which memory, initiation, learning and conceptualization are severely affected. The main histopathological alterations are the presence of amyloid beta/A4-containing plaques, tangles and amyloid angiopathy. It is believed that these brain alterations are associated with abnormal expression and/or processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and with abnormal assembly of cytoskeletal proteins. Recent quantitative studies with the electron microscope and with immunochemical/immunocytochemical assays, using molecular markers for synaptic proteins, have shown that synaptic loss in the cortex is the major correlate of the patterns of cognitive decline in AD. The synaptic loss in AD is accompanied by neuronal loss and aberrant sprouting, and studies in incipient AD cases have shown that this alteration occurs very early in the progression of the disease preceding tangle formation and neuronal loss. These results suggest that damage to the synaptic terminal plays a central role in the pathogenesis of AD. The mechanisms of synaptic pathology in AD are not yet clear, however, studies in transgenic animal models support the possibility that APP participates in synaptic stabilization and that abnormal metabolism of this molecule could lead to synaptic dysfunction which, in turn, results in neurodegeneration and dementia.

Identification and characterization of the complement C5a anaphylatoxin receptor on human astrocytes.

Abstract: The C fragment C5a exerts its important physiologic and pathologic effects through interaction with a specific C5a receptor (C5aR) which is highly expressed on polymorphonuclear leukocytes and some other leukocytes. The presence of this receptor on epithelia and endothelia has recently been documented, raising the possibility that these other cells might also respond to locally generated C5a. C has been implicated in several brain disorders, notably demyelination and neurodegeneration, and cells within brain can synthesize a complete C system. It is thus of interest to examine the mechanisms by which C damages or activates brain cells. To this end we have examined the expression on human fetal astrocytes and astrocyte-derived cell lines of receptors for C fragments. We here report that human astrocytes and cell lines express a receptor for C5a (48 to 72 x 10(3) copies/cell), which is indistinguishable at the protein or mRNA level from that in leukocytes. The astrocyte C5aR was recognized by five different specific Abs, which revealed by Western blotting a protein of 40 to 45 kDa in primary human astrocytes and astrocyte cell lines. Expression was confirmed by RT-PCR using multiple primers. Neither inflammatory cytokines nor PMA caused up-regulation of the receptor on astrocytes. The receptor was functional in that addition of C5a (1 nM to 100 nM) or, at high doses (100 nM), C5adesArg, triggered a calcium transient in astrocytes. We propose that C5aR expression on astrocytes plays an important role in control of inflammation in brain and may be a central component of C-mediated brain injury.

Excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Abstract: The pathogenesis of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is unknown, but several observations suggest that glutamate could participate in selective motor neuron degeneration. Extracellular levels of glutamate are elevated in ALS. Synaptic concentrations of glutamate are regulated by high-affinity glutamate transport, and defects in glutamate transport have also been observed in ALS tissue. Three sodium-dependent glutamate transporters have now been identified: a neuronal transporter EAAC1, and two astroglial transporters GLT-1 and GLAST. The defect in glutamate transport in ALS appears to be relatively specific for the GLT-1 subtype. The role of chronic excess glutamate and glutamate transporter loss has been investigated in experimental paradigms, where it was found that excitotoxicity could account for selective motor neuron degeneration. These culture paradigms have demonstrated that motor neurons are sensitive to glutamate toxicity via non-NMDA receptors and that various agents (e.g., antioxidants, glutamate release inhibitors, non-NMDA receptor antagonists) can be neuroprotective. These experimental studies will provide a basis for understanding the primary and secondary role of glutamate in motor neuron death and will provide important insight into possible therapeutic interventions.

Localization of superoxide dismutases in Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome neocortex and hippocampus.

Abstract: Abnormalities in the cellular regulation and expression of antioxidant enzymes may have a role in mechanisms of central nervous system aging and neurodegeneration. We therefore examined, using isozyme-specific antibodies and immunohistochemistry, the localization of copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase and manganese-superoxide dismutase in the frontal and temporal neocortices and hippocampi of aged controls and individuals with Alzheimer's disease or Down's syndrome. Two different antibodies to copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase and one antibody to manganese-superoxide dismutase were evaluated by immunoblotting of homogenates of human brain before use in immunohistochemistry. The copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase antibodies recognized a single band of proteins at 16 kd. The manganese-superoxide dismutase antibody detected a single band of proteins at 25 kd. Immunohistochemically, copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase and manganese-superoxide dismutase immunoreactivities were localized predominantly to neocortical and hippocampal pyramidal neurons and scarcely seen in glial cells in controls. In Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome, the distributions and intensities of these two forms of superoxide dismutase immunoreactivities were different as compared with controls. Copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase was enriched in pyramidal neurons undergoing degeneration, whereas manganese-superoxide dismutase was more enriched in reactive astrocytes than in neurons. In senile plaques, copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase-positive globular structures were surrounded by astrocytes highly enriched in manganese-superoxide dismutase. By double label immunohistochemistry, some pyramidal neurons coexpressed superoxide dismutases and tau, and a few copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase-positive structures in senile plaques colocalized with tau. Amyloid cores, diffuse plaques, and microglia scarcely showed colocalization with superoxide dismutase-positive structures. The observed changes in the cellular localization of superoxide dismutases in neocortex and hippocampus in cases of Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome support a role for oxidative injury in neuronal degeneration and senile plaque formation. The differential localization of copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase and manganese-superoxide dismutase in cerebral sites of degeneration suggests that cellular responses to oxidative stress is antioxidant enzyme specific and cell type specific and that these two forms of superoxide dismutase may have different functions in antioxidant mechanisms.

Free radical mechanisms in dementia of Alzheimer type and the potential for antioxidative treatment.

Abstract: Neurodegenerative diseases, e.g. dementia of Alzheimer type and Parkinson's disease, are characterized neurochemically by a transmitter-specific loss of neurons, which progresses and extends to several neuronal systems over the course of the disease. At present, no single specific pathomechanism may explain the heterogeneous disorder of familial and sporadic dementia of Alzheimer type, both with early and late onset of the disease. The hypothesis has been proposed that cellular events involving "oxidative stress" may be one basic pathway leading to neurodegeneration in e.g. dementia of Alzheimer type and Parkinson's disease. There are indications for an increased activity or impaired defense mechanisms of free oxygen radicals in dementia of Alzheimer type, although less clear than in Parkinson's disease. Primary and secondary factors interact and may result in a self-propagating cascade of neurodegenerative events. Since these mechanisms of neuronal death involve different areas of cell metabolism, therapeutic strategies for "neuroprotection" also have to encompass different approaches. Since a specificity of oxygen radical toxicity in dementia of Alzheimer type has not been proven, "partial" neuroprotective drugs might be more beneficial in clinical practice than specific drugs affecting only one selective pathomechanism.

Apoptosis : molecular mechanisms and implications for human disease

Abstract: Apoptosis is a highly regulated process of cell death with characteristic morphological changes that are distinct from necrosis. The biochemical machinery responsible for apoptotic cell death appears to be constitutively expressed in most, if not all, cells and can be triggered by a variety of signals, including sustained increases in the intracellular Ca2+ level. Apoptosis is the main mechanism of cell deletion during development, normal cell turnover, hormone-induced tissue atrophy, and pathological processes such as T-cell depletion in HIV/AIDS and neurodegenerative disease. The aim of this review is to briefly summarize current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and its role in human disease.

Marked increase in mitochondrial DNA deletion levels in the cerebral cortex of Huntington's disease patients

Abstract: To determine if somatic mtDNA mutations might contribute to the neurodegeneration observed in Huntington's disease (HD), we quantitated the amount of the common mitochondrial 4977 nucleotide pair deletion (mtDNA4977) in cortex and putamen of HD patients and age-matched controls by the serial dilution-polymerase chain reaction method. Cortical deletion levels were analyzed in the temporal, frontal, and occipital lobes. HD temporal lobes had an 11-fold greater mean mtDNA4977 deletion level than age-matched controls, and HD frontal lobes had fivefold greater levels. HD occipital lobe and putamen deletion levels were comparable with control levels. These results support the hypothesis that HD is associated with elevated cortical mtDNA damage.

Ubiquitin-positive degenerating neurites in the brainstem in Parkinson's disease

Abstract: Characteristic ubiquitin-positive, tau-negative, degenerating neurites were present in brainstem regions known to be involved in idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Corresponding changes were entirely absent from controls and from the brainstems obtained from patients who had died with Alzheimer's disease, motor neuron disease and multiple system atrophy. In Parkinson's disease cases degenerating neurites were particularly striking in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. In this nucleus the density of degenerating neurites was inversely related to the duration of Parkinson's disease symptoms. Some ubiquitin-positive degenerating neurites also contained neurofilament immunoreactivity. However, confocal microscopy revealed that ubiquitin and neurofilament reactivities were located in separate regions of the degenerating neurite, suggesting that proteins other than neurofilaments may be important in the process of ubiquitination. The demonstration of ubiquitin-positive degenerating neurites in routinely prepared paraffin-embedded material, particularly in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, could become diagnostically useful in those Parkinson's disease cases in which Lewy bodies are difficult to find. Demonstration of extensive ubiquitin-positive degenerating neurites might provide a clue to disease activity at the time of death.