Expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein immunoreactivity in the retina of the rat during normal development and after neonatal optic tract lesion

Netrin-1-like-immunoreactivity Coexpresses With DCC and Has a Differential Level in the Myenteric Cholinergic and Nitrergic Neurons of the Adult Mouse Colon

Netrin-1 is a potent axonal and neuronal guidance cue in the developing nervous system. Netrin-1 functions are mediated by its receptors, such as deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) present on axons and neurons. Localization of DCC and Netrin-1 on various types of enteric neurons and their role in the mature enteric nervous system is unknown. The results of our study revealed that almost all enteric neurons and processes express DCC and Netrin-1 in the adult mice. Netrin-1-like-immunoreactivity (IR) was detected in the cytoplasm of neurons with some showing strong or weak staining. The majority of Netrin-1-like-immunoreactive enteric neurons were choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive. However, ~19% of neurons were strongly Netrin-1-like-positive but ChAT-negative while ~8% of neurons were Netrin-1-like-negative but strongly ChAT-positive. In contrast, almost all nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-positive enteric neurons displayed strong Netrin-1-like-IR. This differential intensity of Netrin-1 expression in the myenteric neurons might determine major neuronal subtypes regulating intestinal motility, ChAT-IR excitatory, and nNOS-IR inhibitory muscle motor and interneurons. This is the first study demonstrating the localization of DCC and Netrin-1 in the colonic myenteric plexus of the adult mice and their expression level determining two major neuronal subtypes regulating intestinal motility.

Beta-amyloid sequelae in the eye: a critical review on its diagnostic significance and clinical relevance in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder. There is no test for its definitive diagnosis in routine clinical practice. Although phase III clinical trials have failed, only symptomatic treatment is currently available; a possible reason for these failed trials is that intervention commenced at an advanced stage of the disease. The hallmarks of an AD brain include plaques comprising of extracellular beta-amyloid (Aβ) protein aggregates and intracellular hyperphosphorylated neurofibrillary tangles of tau. Research into the preclinical diagnosis of AD has provided considerable evidence regarding early neuropathological changes using brain Aβ imaging and the cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, Aβ and tau. Both these approaches have limitations that are expensive, invasive or time consuming and thus preclude them from screening at-risk population. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of Aβ plaques in the eyes of AD subjects, which is positively associated with their brain Aβ burden. Thus ocular biomarkers point to a potential avenue for an earlier, relatively low-cost diagnosis in order for therapeutic interventions to be effective. Here we review the literature that spans the investigation for the presence of Aβ in aging eyes and the significance of its deposition in relation to AD pathology. We discuss clinical studies investigating in vivo imaging of Aβ in the eye and its association with brain Aβ burden and therapies that target ocular Aβ. Finally, we focus on the need to characterize AD-specific retinal Aβ to differentiate Aβ found in some eye diseases. Based on the current evidence, we conclude that integration of ocular biomarkers that can correctly predict brain Aβ burden would have an important role as a non-invasive, yet economical surrogate marker in the diagnostic process of AD.

Identification of a novel amyloid precursor protein processing pathway that generates secreted N-terminal fragments

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) into the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide is a central event in AD. While the pathway that generates Aβ is well described, many questions remain concerning general APP metabolism and its metabolites. It is becoming clear that the amino-terminal region of APP can be processed to release small N-terminal fragments (NTFs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence and generation of APP NTFs in vivo and in cell culture (SH-SY5Y) in order to delineate the cellular pathways implicated in their generation. We were able to detect 17- to 28-kDa APP NTFs in human and mouse brain tissue that are distinct from N-APP fragments previously reported. We show that the 17- to 28-kDa APP NTFs were highly expressed in mice from the age of 2 wk to adulthood. SH-SY5Y studies indicate the generation of APP NTFs involves a novel APP processing pathway, regulated by protein kinase C, but independent of α-secretase or β-secretase 1 (BACE) activity. These results identify a novel, developmentally regulated APP processing pathway that may play an important role in the physiological function of APP.

Ferroxidase hephaestin's cell-autonomous role in the retinal pigment epithelium

Hephaestin (Heph) is a ferroxidase protein that converts ferrous to ferric iron to facilitate cellular iron export by ferroportin. Many tissues express either Heph or its homologue, ceruloplasmin (Cp), but the retina expresses both. In mice, a combined systemic mutation of Heph and systemic knockout of Cp (Cp(-/-), Heph(sla/sla)) causes retinal iron accumulation and retinal degeneration, with features of human age-related macular degeneration; however, the role of Heph and Cp in the individual retinal cells is unclear. Herein, we used conditional knockout mice to study Heph's role in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) and photoreceptor cells. Loss of both Heph and Cp from RPE cells alone results in RPE cell iron accumulation and degeneration. We found, however, that RPE iron accumulation in these conditional knockout mice is not as great as in systemic knockout mice. Photoreceptor-specific Heph knockout indicates that the additional iron in the RPE cells does not result from loss of ferroxidases in the photoreceptors, and Cp and Heph play minor roles in photoreceptors. Instead, loss of ferroxidases in other retinal cells causes retinal iron accumulation and transfer of iron to the RPE cells. Cp and Heph are necessary for iron export from the retina but are not essential for iron import into the retina. Thus, our studies, revise how we think about iron import and export from the retina.

Amyloid precursor protein is required for normal function of the rod and cone pathways in the mouse retina

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a transmembrane glycoprotein frequently studied for its role in Alzheimer's disease. Our recent study in APP knockout (KO) mice identified an important role for APP in modulating normal neuronal development in the retina. However the role APP plays in the adult retina and whether it is required for vision is unknown. In this study we evaluated the role of APP in retinal function and morphology comparing adult wildtype (WT) and APP-KO mice. APP was expressed on neuronal cells of the inner retina, including horizontal, cone bipolar, amacrine and ganglion cells in WT mice. The function of the retina was assessed using the electroretinogram and although the rod photoreceptor responses were similar in APP-KO and WT mice, the post-photoreceptor, inner retinal responses of both the rod and cone pathways were reduced in APP-KO mice. These changes in inner retinal function did not translate to a substantial change in visual acuity as assessed using the optokinetic response or to changes in the gross cellular structure of the retina. These findings indicate that APP is not required for basic visual function, but that it is involved in modulating inner retinal circuitry.

Sex-dependent Actions of Amyloid Beta Peptides on Hippocampal Choline Carriers of Postnatal Rats

It is suggested that amyloid beta peptides (Abeta) play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease but their physiological function is still unknown. However, low pM-nM concentrations mediate a hypofunction of a basal forebrain cholinergic system without marked signs of neurotoxicity. In this study, we compared in vitro effects of soluble nonaggregated human Abeta 1-40 and 1-42 either on synaptosomal hemicholinium-3 sensitive choline carriers or on membrane fluidity in hippocampi of male and female Wistar rats aged 7 and 14 days or 2-3 months. The results indicate age- and sex-dependent effects mediated by peptides at nM concentrations but no significant differences between both fragments. Namely, opposite actions were observed in 14-day (the increase in the choline uptake and membrane fluidity) when compared to 7-day old and adult males (the mild drops). Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis revealed that the enhancement of the high-affinity choline transport in 14-day old males occurs via alterations in K (M )and the change was accompanied by a mild increase in the specific binding of [3H]hemicholinium-3. On the other hand, no age-dependent differences were found in females. Rat Abeta 1-40 mediated similar effects on 14-day old rats as the corresponding human fragment. Moreover, higher levels of soluble peptides were detected in immature when compared to mature male brains by means of competitive ELISA. Our study indicates that Abeta could play a role in postnatal sexual differentiation of hippocampal cholinergic system.

Neuroprotective effects of beta-secretase inhibitors against rat retinal ganglion cell death

Beta-secretase, an enzyme participating in amyloid beta-peptide generation, is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. We examined the effects of beta-secretase inhibitors such as N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Leu-leucinal (Z-VLL-CHO) and H-EVNstatineVAEF-NH2 (GL-189) on glutamate-induced retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in vitro. In cultures of purified RGCs from neonatal rats, 2-day exposure to 25 microM glutamate induced RGC death, and Z-VLL-CHO (100 nM) and GL-189 (1 microM) had neuroprotective effects. We also found out that Z-VLL-CHO showed a neuroprotective effect on retinal damage induced by optic nerve crush in vivo. Thus, beta-secretase could be a potential target for therapy of neurodegenerative retinal diseases.

Optic nerve damage in shaken baby syndrome: detection by beta-amyloid precursor protein immunohistochemistry

BACKGROUND

Rapid acceleration-deceleration of an infant's head during intentional shaking should in theory exert stretch or shear forces upon the optic nerves sufficient to cause axonal injury. beta-Amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) immunohistochemistry recently has been shown to be a highly effective method for identifying diffuse axonal injury in the brains of infants with shaken baby syndrome. In this study, we investigated the utility of beta-APP in identifying optic nerve damage in infants who have sustained fatal whiplash shaking.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

beta-Amyloid precursor protein immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of eyes (including optic disc and distal optic nerve) from infants less than 1 year of age with shaken baby syndrome (5 cases), combined shaken baby syndrome/blunt head trauma (3 cases), and "pure" blunt head trauma (1 case). Nontraumatic control cases included infants who died of suffocation (1 case), sudden infant death syndrome (1 case), and positional asphyxia (1 case) and an enucleation from a child with a retinoblastoma (1 case). Matched hematoxylin-eosin-and neurofilament-stained sections were used for comparison.

RESULTS

Three of the 5 shaken baby cases and all 3 combined shaken baby/blunt head trauma cases had optic nerve axonal injury identified by the presence of strongly beta-APP-immunoreactive beaded or swollen axonal segments. Axonal injury could not be detected in the corresponding hematoxylin-eosin-or neurofilament-stained sections. Optic nerve axonal injury was not seen in the case involving pure blunt head trauma or in the nontraumatic control cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Optic nerve axonal injury is a prominent feature of intentional fatal whiplash head trauma in infants less than 1 year of age. beta-Amyloid protein precursor immunohistochemistry appears to be the most effective method for demonstrating axonal damage in the optic nerve.

Differential expression of beta-amyloid precursor and Bcl-2 proto-oncogene proteins in the developing dog retina

Previous studies of rat retinas have not only provided evidence that beta-amyloid precursor (APP) and B-cell lymphoma proto-oncogene (Bcl-2) proteins are colocalized in retinal Müller glial cells, but have also indicated that common mechanisms regulate their expression in these cells (Chen, S.T., Garey, L.J., Jen, L.S., 1994. Bcl-2 proto-oncogene protein immunoreactivity in normally developing and axotomised rat retinas. Neurosci. Lett. 172, 11 14; Chen, S.T., Gentleman, S.M., Garey, L.J., Jen, L.S., 1996. Distribution of beta-amyloid precursor and B-cell lymphoma proto-oncogene proteins in the rat retina after optic nerve transection or vascular lesion. J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 55, 1073-1082; Chen, S.T., Garey, L.J., Jen, L.S., 1997. Expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein immunoreactivity in the retina of the rat during normal development and after neonatal optic tract lesion. NeuroReport 8, 713-717). This investigation attempts to resolve whether or not the pattern observed in rats also applies to other higher mammalian species by examining the expression of immunoreactivity to APP and Bcl-2 in developing as well as mature dog retinas using immunocytochemical methods. Experimental results indicate that the immunoreactivity of both APP and Bcl-2 is located primarily in the inner retina, particularly in the ganglion cells and their axons in late fetal and neonatal stages. From the second postnatal week (the time of eye opening) onwards, immunoreactivity to APP, but not Bcl-2, is localized primarily in the endfeet and proximal part of the radial process of retinal Müller glial cells. Although the findings show both APP and Bcl-2 are expressed in ganglion cells and their processes suggest that the molecules have a role in the differentiation of neurons in the central nervous tissue, the lack of Bcl-2 in the Müller glial cells in dog retinas further suggests that the two molecules may have different biological roles with respect to glial function.

Expression of beta-amyloid precursor and Bcl-2 proto-oncogene proteins in rat retinas after intravitreal injection of aminoadipic acid

In order to investigate the role of glia in relation to factors that affect the expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) and B cell lymphoma oncogene protein (Bcl-2) in the central nervous tissue, the patterns of expression of betaAPP and Bcl-2 in developing and mature rat retinas were studied immunocytochemically after intravitreal injection of alpha-aminoadipic acid (alpha-AAA), a glutamate analogue and gliotoxin that is known to cause injury of retinal Müller glial cells. In normal developing retinas, betaAPP and Bcl-2 were expressed primarily but transiently in a small number of neurons in the ganglion cell layer during the first postnatal week. Immunoreactivity of betaAPP and Bcl-2 appeared in the endfeet and proximal part of the radial processes of Müller glial cells from the second postnatal week onwards. In rats that received intravitreal injection of alpha-AAA at birth, there was a loss of immunoreactivity to vimentin, and a delayed expressed on betaAPP or Bcl-2 in Muller glial cells until 3-5 weeks post-injection. Immunoreactive neurons were also observed in the inner retina especially in the ganglion cell layer from 5 to 35 days after injection. A significant reduction in numerical density of cells with large somata in the ganglion cell layer was observed in the neonatally injected retinas at P56, which was accompanied by an increased immunostaining in radial processes of Müller glial cells. In contrast, no detectable changes in the expression of betaAPP and Bcl-2 were observed in retina that received alpha-AAA as adults. These results indicate that the gliotoxin alpha-AAA has long lasting effects on the expression of betaAPP and Bcl-2 in Müller glial cells as well as neurons in the developing but not mature retinas. The loss of vimentin and delayed expression of betaAPP and Bcl-2 in developing Müller glial cells suggests that the metabolic integrity of Müller cells was temporarily compromised, which may have adverse effects on developing neurons that are vulnerable or dependent on trophic support from the Müller glial cells.