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The publication detail shows the title, authors (with indicators showing other profiled authors), information on the publishing organization, abstract and a link to the article in PubMed. This abstract is what is used to create the fingerprint of the publication. If any grants are referenced by the publication, they will be listed here as well.

Familial Danish dementia: co-existence of Danish and Alzheimer amyloid subunits (ADan AND A{beta}) in the absence of compact plaques.

Yasushi Tomidokoro; Tammaryn Lashley; Agueda Rostagno; Thomas A Neubert; Marie Bojsen-Møller; Hans Braendgaard; Gordon Plant; Janice Holton; Blas Frangione; Tamas Révész; et al. (Profiled Author: Frangione, Blas)

Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA.
The Journal of biological chemistry 2005;280(44):36883-94.

Familial Danish dementia is an early onset autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder linked to a genetic defect in the BRI2 gene and clinically characterized by dementia and ataxia. Cerebral amyloid and preamyloid deposits of two unrelated molecules (Danish amyloid (ADan) and beta-amyloid (Abeta)), the absence of compact plaques, and neurofibrillary degeneration indistinguishable from that observed in Alzheimer disease (AD) are the main neuropathological features of the disease. Biochemical analysis of extracted amyloid and preamyloid species indicates that as the solubility of the deposits decreases, the heterogeneity and complexity of the extracted peptides exponentially increase. Nonfibrillar deposits were mainly composed of intact ADan-(1-34) and its N-terminally modified (pyroglutamate) counterpart together with Abeta-(1-42) and Abeta-(4-42) in approximately 1:1 mixture. The post-translational modification, glutamate to pyroglutamate, was not present in soluble circulating ADan. In the amyloid fractions, ADan was heavily oligomerized and highly heterogeneous at the N and C terminus, and, when intact, its N terminus was post-translationally modified (pyroglutamate), whereas Abeta was mainly Abeta-(4-42). In all cases, the presence of Abeta-(X-40) was negligible, a surprising finding in view of the prevalence of Abeta40 in vascular deposits observed in sporadic and familial AD, Down syndrome, and normal aging. Whether the presence of the two amyloid subunits is imperative for the disease phenotype or just reflects a conformational mimicry remains to be elucidated; nonetheless, a specific interaction between ADan oligomers and Abeta molecules was demonstrated in vitro by ligand blot analysis using synthetic peptides. The absence of compact plaques in the presence of extensive neuro fibrillar degeneration strongly suggests that compact plaques, fundamental lesions for the diagnosis of AD, are not essential for the mechanism of dementia.

3 Originating Grant

• 1.

  Frangione, Blas

  AMYLOID ANGIOPATHY, EARLY PLAQUES & AGING

  1 January 1990 - 31 August 2006

  NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

  Total Funding: $ 4,063,685

• 2.

  FRANGIONE, BLAS

  AMYLOIDOSIS AND ALZHEIMERS DISEASE

  1 July 1985 - 30 June 1997

  NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

  Total Funding: $ 3,049,140

• 3.

  Frangione, Blas

  Amyloidosis and Alzheimer's Disease

  1 July 1985 - 30 June 2007

  NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

  Total Funding: $ 4,467,436

Scientific Context

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