AMYLOID-P COMPONENT PROMOTES AGGREGATION OF ALZHEIMERS BETA-AMYLOID PEPTIDE

Amyloid P component (AP) has been recognized as a beta-amyloid-associa ted protein but the pathological role is not known. In the present exp eriments, it has been shown that AP promotes the aggregation of Alzhei mer's beta-amyloid peptide (A beta) in the presence of a physiological concentration of Ca2+. The aggregation promotion was observed at a co ncentration of soluble A beta 1-40 in human cerebrospinal fluid. The r esults suggest that AP is possibly a pathogenic factor of the cerebral amyloidosis. (C) Academic Press, Inc.