Apolipoprotein E4 stimulates sulfation of glycosaminoglycans in neural cells

Apolipoprotein E externally added to neuroblastoma cells in culture stimula tes [S-35]sulfate incorporation on eel and extracellular matrix glycosamino glycans (sGAG). This stimulation is mainly observed for ApoE4 compared to A poE3. The increase in sulfation is not due to increased synthesis as there is no corresponding increase in the [H-3]glucosamine incorporation. Since t he presence of ApoE is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the p resence of sGAG could facilitate the assembly of the main components, beta -amyloid and tau proteins, of the aberrant structures found in AD, the pres ent study indicates a possible relation between those factors. (C) 2001 Els evier Science B.V. All rights reserved.