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Laminin and its neurite outgrowth‐promoting domain in the brain in Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome patients
Author(s) -
Murtomäki S.,
Risteli J.,
Risteli L.,
Koivisto U.M.,
Johansson S.,
Liesi Päivi
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490320216
Subject(s) - neurite , laminin , neuroscience , disease , alzheimer's disease , domain (mathematical analysis) , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , psychology , biology , genetics , in vitro , extracellular matrix , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Immunocytochemistry, radioimmunoassay, immunoblotting, Northern analysis, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique were applied to investigate the distribution of laminin and its neurite outgrowth domain in brains of neuropathologically verified cases of Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome. New antibodies against a neurite outgrowth domain of laminin were characterized and were used in localization of this peptide antigen in the human brain. Laminin was found as large punctate deposits in all plaques in the affected brains. Laminin synthesis was increased as assessed by RNA blotting and immunoblotting, and glial cells were heavily immunoreactive with antibodies for a neurite outgrowth‐promoting peptide antigen of the B2 chain of laminin. This peptide antigen not only was produced by glial cells but also was deposited in the brain tissue. As this peptide antigen promotes neurite outgrowth at low concentrations, and is specifically neurotoxic at high concentrations, it may play a synergistic role with other molecules in inducing the sprouting and neurodegeneration occurring in brains of patients with either Alzheimer's disease or Down's syndrome. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.