Fw. Vanleeuwen et al., FRAMESHIT MUTANTS OF BETA-AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN AND UBIQUITIN-B IN ALZHEIMERS AND DOWN PATIENTS, Science, 279(5348), 1998, pp. 242-247
The cerebral cortex of Alzheimer's and Down syndrome patients is chara
cterized by the presence of protein deposits in neurofibrillary tangle
s, neuritic plaques, and neuropil threads. These structures were shown
to contain forms of beta amyloid precursor protein and ubiquitin-B th
at are aberrant(+1 proteins) in the carboxyl terminus. The +1 proteins
were not found in young control patients, whereas the presence of ubi
quitin-B+1 in elderly control patients may indicate early stages of ne
urodegeneration. The two species of +1 proteins displayed cellular col
ocalization, suggesting a common origin, operating at the transcriptio
nal level or by posttranscriptional editing of RNA. This type of trans
cript mutation is likely an important factor in the widely occurring n
onfamilial early- and late-onset forms of Alzheimer's disease.