Expression of the C terminus of the amyloid precursor protein alters growth factor responsiveness in stably transfected PC12 cells

The cellular model for Alzheimer's disease research: PC12 cells

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and irreversible memory impairment. Currently, several studies have failed to fully elucidate AD's cellular and molecular mechanisms. For this purpose, research on related cellular models may propose potential predictive models for the drug development of AD. Therefore, many cells characterized by neuronal properties are widely used to mimic the pathological process of AD, such as PC12, SH-SY5Y, and N2a, especially the PC12 pheochromocytoma cell line. Thus, this review covers the most systematic essay that used PC12 cells to study AD. We depict the cellular source, culture condition, differentiation methods, transfection methods, drugs inducing AD, general approaches (evaluation methods and metrics), and in vitro cellular models used in parallel with PC12 cells.

New insights into the role of fibroblast growth factors in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD), acknowledged as the most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. The characteristic pathologic hallmarks of AD-including the deposition of extracellular senile plaques (SP) formation, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and synaptic loss, along with prominent vascular dysfunction and cognitive impairment-have been observed in patients. Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), originally characterized as angiogenic factors, are a large family of signaling molecules that are implicated in a wide range of biological functions in brain development, maintenance and repair, as well as in the pathogenesis of brain-related disorders including AD. Many studies have focused on the implication of FGFs in AD pathophysiology. In this review, we will provide a summary of recent findings regarding the role of FGFs and their receptors in the pathogenesis of AD, and discuss the possible opportunities for targeting these molecules as novel treatment strategies in AD.

Amyloid precursor protein-mediated endocytic pathway disruption induces axonal dysfunction and neurodegeneration

The endosome/lysosome pathway is disrupted early in the course of both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS); however, it is not clear how dysfunction in this pathway influences the development of these diseases. Herein, we explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which endosomal dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of AD and DS. We determined that full-length amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its β-C-terminal fragment (β-CTF) act though increased activation of Rab5 to cause enlargement of early endosomes and to disrupt retrograde axonal trafficking of nerve growth factor (NGF) signals. The functional impacts of APP and its various products were investigated in PC12 cells, cultured rat basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs), and BFCNs from a mouse model of DS. We found that the full-length wild-type APP (APPWT) and β-CTF both induced endosomal enlargement and disrupted NGF signaling and axonal trafficking. β-CTF alone induced atrophy of BFCNs that was rescued by the dominant-negative Rab5 mutant, Rab5S34N. Moreover, expression of a dominant-negative Rab5 construct markedly reduced APP-induced axonal blockage in Drosophila. Therefore, increased APP and/or β-CTF impact the endocytic pathway to disrupt NGF trafficking and signaling, resulting in trophic deficits in BFCNs. Our data strongly support the emerging concept that dysregulation of Rab5 activity contributes importantly to early pathogenesis of AD and DS.

Nerve growth factor induces proliferation of PC12 cells through Cdc42

Nerve growth factor (NGF) can change neurite outgrowth and cellular morphology of rat adrenal pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. In the present study, stable PC12 cells with constitutively active form (L61Cdc42), the dominant negative constructs (N17Cdc42), and wild type Cdc42 did not proliferate in low serum condition. However, on exposure to NGF, PC12 cells transfected with L61Cdc42 cDNA proliferated, whereas wild type Cdc42 and N17Cdc42 cDNA-transfected PC12 cells did not. When the cells were stimulated with NGF, ERK1/2 was transiently activated in L61Cdc42-transfected PC12 cells, whereas the activation of ERK1/2 was sustained in other cell lines. NGF repressed the induction of p21WAF1, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor, in L61Cdc42 transfected PC12 cells, whereas NGF induced the expression of p21WAF1 in other PC12 cell lines.

Spatial memory testing decreases hippocampal amyloid precursor protein in young, but not aged, female rats

Using young and aged rats, we investigated relationships between amyloid precursor protein (APP) and working or reference memory, as well as assessed whether cognitive testing altered APP levels. In young rats, higher APP levels were related to more working memory errors as a linear function. Aged rats exhibited a curvilinear relationship between APP and working memory, with moderate APP levels associated with better relative performance. A comparison of rats that received cognitive testing with those that did not showed that testing decreased APP levels in young, but not aged, rats. Collectively, the data suggest that young and aged rats exhibit different relationships between APP and working memory, and that aged rats do not maintain the capacity to decrease APP in response to cognitive testing.

Death of PC12 cells and hippocampal neurons induced by adenoviral-mediated FAD human amyloid precursor protein gene expression

We used adenoviral-mediated gene transfer of human amyloid precursor proteins (h-APPs) to evaluate the role of various h-APPs in causing neuronal cell death. We were able to infect PC12 cells with very high efficiency because approximately 90% of the cells were cytochemically positive for beta-galactosidase activity when an adenoviral vector containing LacZ cDNA was used to infect cells. Cells infected with adenovirus containing h-APP cDNA showed high-level transcription and expression of h-APP as measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western immunoblot analyses, respectively. Intracellular and extracellular levels of h-APP were elevated approximately 17-and 24-fold in cultures infected with recombinant adenovirus containing wild-type mutant and 13- and 17-fold with V642F mutant. No elevation in h-APP was seen in cultures infected with antisense h-APP or null adenovirus. H-APP levels were maximal 3 days after infection. Overexpression of V642F mutant h-APP in PC12 cells and hippocampal neurons resulted in about a twofold increase in death compared with overexpression of wild-type h-APP. These results demonstrate the usefulness of recombinant adenoviral mediated gene transfer in cell culture studies and suggest that overexpression of a familial Alzheimer's disease mutant APP may be toxic to neuronal cells.

Evidence that the 42- and 40-amino acid forms of amyloid beta protein are generated from the beta-amyloid precursor protein by different protease activities

Cerebral deposition of the amyloid beta protein (A beta) is an early and invariant feature of Alzheimer disease (AD). Whereas the 40-amino acid form of A beta (A beta 40) accounts for approximately 90% of all A beta normally released from cells, it appears to contribute only to later phases of the pathology. In contrast, the longer more amyloidogenic 42-residue form (A beta 42), accounting for only approximately 10% of secreted A beta, is deposited in the earliest phase of AD and remains the major constituent of most amyloid plaques throughout the disease. Moreover, its levels have been shown to be increased in all known forms of early-onset familial AD. Thus, inhibition of A beta 42 production is a prime therapeutic goal. The same protease, gamma-secretase, is assumed to generate the C termini of both A beta 40 and A beta 42. Herein, we analyze the effect of the compound MDL 28170, previously suggested to inhibit gamma-secretase, on beta-amyloid precursor protein processing. By immunoprecipitating conditioned medium of different cell lines with various A beta 40- and A beta 42-specific antibodies, we demonstrate a much stronger inhibition of the gamma-secretase cleavage at residue 40 than of that at residue 42. These data suggest that different proteases generate the A beta 40 and A beta 42 C termini. Further, they raise the possibility of identifying compounds that do not interfere with general beta-amyloid precursor protein metabolism, including A beta 40 production, but specifically block the generation of the pathogenic A beta 42 peptide.