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Serum amyloid A and protein AA: Molecular mechanisms of a transmissible amyloidosis
Author(s) -
Westermark Gunilla T.,
Westermark Per
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.04.026
Subject(s) - amyloidosis , aa amyloidosis , amyloid fibril , amyloid (mycology) , serum amyloid a , fibril , chemistry , serum amyloid p component , serum amyloid a protein , medicine , biochemistry , pathology , immunology , disease , inflammation , amyloid β , c reactive protein , familial mediterranean fever
Systemic AA‐amyloidosis is a complication of chronic inflammatory diseases and the fibril protein AA derives from the acute phase reactant serum AA. AA‐amyloidosis can be induced in mice by an inflammatory challenge. The lag phase before amyloid develops can be dramatically shortened by administration of a small amount of amyloid fibrils. Systemic AA‐amyloidosis is transmissible in mice and may be so in humans. Since transmission can cross species barriers it is possible that AA‐amyloidosis can be induced by amyloid in food, e.g. foie gras. In mice, development of AA‐amyloidosis can also be accelerated by other components with amyloid‐like properties. A new possible risk factor may appear with synthetically made fibrils from short peptides, constructed for tissue repair.