A. Merched et al., APOLIPOPROTEIN-E, TRANSTHYRETIN AND ACTIN IN THE CSF OF ALZHEIMERS PATIENTS - RELATION WITH THE SENILE PLAQUES AND CYTOSKELETON BIOCHEMISTRY, FEBS letters, 425(2), 1998, pp. 225-228
We measured the levels of two beta-amyloid (A beta)-sequestering prote
ins, apolipoprotein (Apo) E and transthyretin (TTR), in ventricular hu
man cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and
controls in relation to brain histological findings. We also studied
actin levels in CSF as a marker of the biochemical role of these two p
roteins in the cytoskeleton. We show that TTR levels in CSF were signi
ficantly decreased in AD patients compared to controls and negatively
correlated with the senile plaque (SP) abundance. Moreover, actin leve
ls were positively linked to TTR levels and increased in CSF samples o
f patients homozygous for the ApoE epsilon 4-allele. We propose that T
TR and ApoE4 may have competition in the aggregation of A beta and its
deposition in the SP of AD brain. The relationships between ApoE, TTR
and actin could suggest a metabolic implication of ApoE genetics and
TTR levels in cytoskeletal biochemistry which may be relevant to the p
athogenesis of AD. (C) 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societi
es.