C. Fernandezshaw et al., ANTIBRAIN SPECTRIN IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE - DEGRADATION OF SPECTRIN IN AN ANIMAL-MODEL OF CHOLINERGIC DEGENERATION, Journal of neuroimmunology, 77(1), 1997, pp. 91-98
In a previous work, we described the existence of anti-brain spectrin
auto antibodies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (J. Neuroimmunol.
68 (1996) 39-44). In this report, we further support our previous obs
ervations, showing that sera from 9 out of 18 AD patients, but none of
14 control subjects, immunoreacted with spectrin synthesized by PC12
cells. In addition, degradation of brain spectrin was found to be grea
tly enhanced in the frontal cortex of rats subjected to an animal mode
l of cholinergic degeneration. Our data suggest that spectrin degradat
ion and generation of anti-spectrin auto antibodies may be related to
the cholinergic degeneration encountered in AD.