GNE myopathy is an autosomal recessive muscular disorder of young adults characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness and wasting. It is caused by a mutation in the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE) gene, which encodes a key enzyme in sialic acid biosynthesis. The mutated hypofunctional GNE is associated with intracellular accumulation of amyloid β-pe...

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been recently identified as being involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the role of an important COX-2 metabolic product, prostaglandin (PG) I2, in AD development remains unknown. Using mouse-derived astrocytes as well as APP/PS1 transgenic mice as model systems, we firstly elucidated the mechanisms of interferon γ (IFNγ) regulation by P...

The M-transcript of human choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) produces an 82-kDa protein (82-kDa ChAT) that concentrates in nuclei of cholinergic neurons. We assessed the effects of acute exposure to oligomeric amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ1-42) on 82-kDa ChAT disposition in SH-SY5Y neural cells, finding that acute exposure to Aβ1-42 results in increased association of 82-kDa ChAT with chromatin and formation...

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) are characterized by abnormal accumulation/misfolding of specific proteins, primarily α-synuclein (α-syn), β-amyloid1-42 (Aβ1-42) and tau, in both brain and peripheral tissues. In addition to oligomers, the role of the interactions of α-syn with Aβ or tau has gradually emerged. Nevertheless, despite intensive research, NDs have no accepted peripheral markers fo...

The goal of this study was to show that myelin and axons in cortical gray matter are damaged in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. Superior temporal gyrus gray matter of AD patients (9 male, 14 female) was compared to cognitively normal controls (8 male, 7 female). Myelin basic protein (MBP) and a degraded myelin basic protein complex (dMBP) were quantified by Western blot. Brain sections were imm...

Amyloid β (Aβ) deposition in the brain is an early and invariable feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Aβ peptides are composed of about 40 amino acids and are generated from amyloid precursor proteins (APP), by β- and γ-secretases. The distribution of individual Aβ peptides in the brains of aged people, and those suffering from AD and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), is not fully charact...

Mitochondrial dysfunction caused by amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD). Substantial evidence has indicated that the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening is involved in Aβ-induced neuronal death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), one of the major active constituents of Astragalus m...

Although early olfactory dysfunction has been found in patients with Alzheimer's disease, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated whether and how oligomeric amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) affects the responses of mitral cells (MCs). We found that oligomeric Aβ1-42 increased spontaneous and evoked firing rates but decreased the ratio of evoked to spontaneous firings in M...

BACKGROUND Mutations linked to early onset, familial forms of Alzheimer's disease (FAD) are found most frequently in PSEN1, the gene encoding presenilin-1 (PS1). Together with nicastrin (NCT), anterior pharynx-defective protein 1 (APH1), and presenilin enhancer 2 (PEN2), the catalytic subunit PS1 constitutes the core of the γ-secretase complex and contributes to the proteolysis of the amyloid p...