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Expression of amyloid precursor protein mRNA in vascular smooth muscle cells of the human brain
Author(s) -
Takahashi Reisuke Heavy,
Sawa Hirofumi,
Takada Akio,
Kitabatake Akira,
Nagashima Kazuo
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
neuropathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1440-1789
pISSN - 0919-6544
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1789.1997.tb00004.x
Subject(s) - in situ hybridization , northern blot , pathology , cerebral amyloid angiopathy , vascular smooth muscle , messenger rna , blot , amyloid precursor protein , cerebral arteries , amyloid (mycology) , immunohistochemistry , meninges , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , medicine , smooth muscle , endocrinology , gene , alzheimer's disease , biochemistry , dementia , disease
Amyloid deposition in the cerebral vessels is the hallmark of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). In order to establish which type of cell produces amyloid, we performed Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization studies on human meningeal arteries. Northern blotting showed that amyloid precursor protein (APP) mRNA was expressed not only in the cerebral cortex, but also in the meninges. An antisense RNA probe that hybridizes with APP transcripts was used for in situ hybridization. This analytic modality revealed APP messages in the tunica media of the meningeal arteries and arterioles. The presence of smooth muscle cells in these vessels was verified immunohistochemically on consecutive serial sections. These observations indicate that APP is produced by vascular smooth muscle cells.