| 1. |
- Belin, Andrea Carmine, et al.
(author)
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Association study of two genetic variants in mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
- 2007
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In: Neuroscience letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-3940. ; 420:3, s. 257-62
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mitochondrial (mt) dysfunction has been implicated in Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is needed for mtDNA maintenance, regulating mtDNA copy number and is absolutely required for transcriptional initiation at mtDNA promoters. Two genetic variants in TFAM have been reported to be associated with AD in a Caucasian case-control material collected from Germany, Switzerland and Italy. One of these variants was reported to show a tendency for association with AD in a pooled Scottish and Swedish case-control material and the other variant was reported to be associated with AD in a recent meta-analysis. We investigated these two genetic variants, rs1937 and rs2306604, in an AD and a PD case-control material, both from Sweden and found significant genotypic as well as allelic association to marker rs2306604 in the AD case-control material (P=0.05 and P=0.03, respectively), where the A-allele appears to increase risk for developing AD. No association was observed for marker rs1937. We did not find any association in the PD case-control material for either of the two markers. The distribution of the two-locus haplotype frequencies (based on rs1937 and rs2306604) did not differ significantly between affected individuals and controls in the two sample sets. However, the global P-value for haplotypic association testing indicated borderline association in the AD sample set. Our data suggests that the rs2306604 A-allele could be a moderate risk factor for AD, which is supported by the recent meta-analysis.
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| 2. |
- Dehvari, Nodi, et al.
(author)
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Amyloid precursor protein accumulates in aggresomes in response to proteasome inhibitor
- 2012
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In: Neurochemistry International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-0186 .- 1872-9754. ; 60:5, s. 533-542
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aggresomes are cytoplasmic inclusions which are localized at the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) as a result of induced proteasome inhibition, stress or over-expression of certain proteins. Aggresomes are linked to the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. Here we studied whether amyloid precursor protein (APP), a type-I transmembrane glycoprotein, is localized in aggresomes after exposure to stress condition. Using confocal microscopy we found that APP is located in aggresomes and co-localized with vimentin, gamma-tubulin, 20S and ubiquitin at the MTOC in response to proteasome dysfunction. An interaction between vimentin and APP was found after proteasome inhibition suggesting that APP is an additional protein constituent of aggresomes. Suppression of the proteasome system in APP-HEK293 cells overexpressing APP or transfected with APP Swedish mutation caused an accumulation of stable, detergent-insoluble forms of APP containing poly-ubiquitinated proteins. In addition, brain homogenates from transgenic mice expressing human APP with the Arctic mutation demonstrated an interaction between APP and the aggresomal-marker vimentin. These data suggest that malfunctioning of the proteasome system caused by mutation or overexpression of pathological or non-pathological proteins may lead to the accumulation of stable aggresomes, perhaps contributing to the neurodegeneration.
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| 3. |
- Forsell, Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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Genetic association to the amyloid plaque associated protein gene COL25A1 in Alzheimer's disease
- 2010
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - Fayetteville, N.Y. : Ankho International. - 0197-4580 .- 1558-1497. ; 31:3, s. 409-415
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The COL25A1 gene, located in 4q25, encodes the CLAC protein, which has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. CLAC was originally identified in amyloid preparations from AD brain and has been shown to be associated with amyloid plaques, inhibition of Abeta-fibril elongation and increased protease resistance of Abeta-fibrils through direct binding to Abeta. These biochemical data as well as the genomic location of the COL25A1 gene in chromosome 4q25 where we previously have reported a weak linkage-signal in Swedish AD families encouraged us to perform a case-control association study of two LD blocks in COL25A1 using 817 AD cases and 364 controls. The LD blocks cover a putative Abeta-binding motif and the variable 3' end of the gene. The analyses indicated association to three of eight analysed SNPs. We found further support for the association by replication in a Swedish population-based longitudinal sample set (n=926). Thus, in addition to the biochemical data, there is now genetic evidence of association between COL25A1 and risk for Alzheimer's disease.
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| 4. |
- George, Sonia, et al.
(author)
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Lesion of the subiculum reduces the spread of amyloid beta pathology to interconnected brain regions in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
- 2014
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In: Acta Neuropathologica Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2051-5960. ; 2:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The progressive development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology follows a spatiotemporal pattern in the human brain. In a transgenic (Tg) mouse model of AD expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) with the arctic (E693G) mutation, pathology spreads along anatomically connected structures. Amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology first appears in the subiculum and is later detected in interconnected brain regions, including the retrosplenial cortex. We investigated whether the spatiotemporal pattern of Aβ pathology in the Tg APP arctic mice to interconnected brain structures can be interrupted by destroying neurons using a neurotoxin and thereby disconnecting the neural circuitry.
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| 5. |
- Hedskog, Louise, et al.
(author)
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Modulation of the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria interface in Alzheimer's disease and related models
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 110:19, s. 7916-7921
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is well-established that subcompartments of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are in physical contact with the mitochondria. These lipid raft-like regions of ER are referred to as mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs), and they play an important role in, for example, lipid synthesis, calcium homeostasis, and apoptotic signaling. Perturbation of MAM function has previously been suggested in Alzheimer's disease (AD) as shown in fibroblasts from AD patients and a neuroblastoma cell line containing familial presenilin-2 AD mutation. The effect of AD pathogenesis on the ER-mitochondria interplay in the brain has so far remained unknown. Here, we studied ER-mitochondria contacts in human AD brain and related AD mouse and neuronal cell models. We found uniform distribution of MAM in neurons. Phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting protein-2 and sigma 1 receptor, two MAM-associated proteins, were shown to be essential for neuronal survival, because siRNA knockdown resulted in degeneration. Up-regulated MAM-associated proteins were found in the AD brain and amyloid precursor protein (APP)(Swe/Lon) mouse model, in which up-regulation was observed before the appearance of plaques. By studying an ER-mitochondria bridging complex, inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor-voltage-dependent anion channel, we revealed that nanomolar concentrations of amyloid beta-peptide increased inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor and voltage-dependent anion channel protein expression and elevated the number of ER-mitochondria contact points and mitochondrial calcium concentrations. Our data suggest an important role of ER-mitochondria contacts and cross-talk in AD pathology.
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| 6. |
- Keller, Lina, et al.
(author)
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The Obesity Related Gene, FTO, Interacts with APOE and is Associated with Alzheimer's Disease Risk : A Prospective Cohort Study
- 2011
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 23:3, s. 461-469
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The FTO gene has been shown to have a small but robust effect on body mass index (BMI) and to increase the risk for diabetes. Both high BMI and diabetes are vascular risk factors that might play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia. Thus, our aim was to explore the impact of FTO on AD and dementia risk. Nine years of follow-up data was gathered from the Kungsholmen project, a prospective population-based study on 1,003 persons without dementia. Cox-regression models were used to assess the relative risks of developing AD and dementia (DSM-III-R criteria) according to FTO genotypes (rs9939609), taking into account APOE, physical inactivity, BMI, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Compared to carriers of the FTO TT-genotype, AA-carriers had a higher risk for AD (RR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.11-2.24) and for dementia (RR 1.48, 95% CI: 1.09-2.02) after adjustment for age, gender, education, and APOE genotype. This effect remained after additional adjustment for physical inactivity, BMI, diabetes, and CVD. An interaction between FTO and APOE was found, with increased risk for dementia for those carrying both FTO AA and APOE epsilon 4. Importantly, the effect of the AA-genotype on dementia/AD risk seems to act mostly through the interaction with APOE epsilon 4. Our findings suggest that the FTO AA-genotype increases the risk for dementia, and in particular AD, independently of physical inactivity, BMI, diabetes, and CVD measured at baseline. Our results are in line with the recently reported association between FTO and reduced brain volume in cognitively healthy subjects.
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| 7. |
- Rönnback, Annica, et al.
(author)
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Amyloid neuropathology in the single Arctic APP transgenic model affects interconnected brain regions
- 2012
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580 .- 1558-1497. ; 33:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Arctic APP mutation (E693G) within the amyloid beta (A beta) domain of amyloid precursor protein (APP) leads to dementia with clinical features similar to Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is believed to be mediated via increased formation of protofibrils. We have generated a transgenic mouse model, TgAPParc, with neuron-specific expression of human amyloid precursor protein with the Arctic mutation (hAPParc), showing mild amyloid pathology with a relatively late onset. Here we performed a detailed analysis of the spatiotemporal progression of neuropathology in homozygous TgAPParc, focusing on intracellular A beta and diffuse A beta aggregates rather than amyloid plaques. We show that the neuropathology in homozygous TgAPParc mice starts with intracellular A beta aggregates, which is followed by diffuse extracellular A beta deposits in subiculum that later expands to brain regions receiving neuronal projections from regions already affected. Together this suggests that the pathology in TgAPParc mice affects interconnected brain regions and may represent a valuable tool to study the spread and progression of neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease.
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| 8. |
- Sandebring, Anna, et al.
(author)
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The Pathogenic A beta 43 Is Enriched in Familial and Sporadic Alzheimer Disease
- 2013
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:2, s. e55847-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The amyloid-cascade hypothesis posits that the role of amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) in Alzheimer disease (AD) involves polymerization into structures that eventually are deposited as amyloid plaques. During this process, neurotoxic oligomers are formed that induce synaptic loss and neuronal death. Several different isoforms of A beta are produced, of which the 40 and 42 residue variants (A beta 40 and A beta 42) are the most common. A beta 42 has a strong tendency to form neurotoxic aggregates and is involved in AD pathogenesis. Longer A beta isoforms, like the less studied A beta 43, are gaining attention for their higher propensity to aggregate into neurotoxic oligomers. To further investigate A beta 43 in AD, we conducted a quantitative study on A beta 43 levels in human brain. We homogenized human brain tissue and prepared fractions of various solubility; tris buffered saline (TBS), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and formic acid (FA). Levels of A beta 43, as well as A beta 40 and A beta 42, were quantified using ELISA. We compared quantitative data showing A beta levels in occipital and frontal cortex from sporadic (SAD) and familial (FAD) AD cases, as well as non-demented (ND) controls. Results showed A beta 43 present in each fraction from the SAD and FAD cases, while its level was lower than the detection limit in the majority of the ND-cases. A beta 42 and A beta 43 were enriched in the less soluble fractions (SDS and FA) of SAD and FAD cases in both occipital and frontal cortex. Thus, although the total levels of A beta 43 in human brain are low compared to A beta 40 and A beta 42, we suggest that A beta 43 could initiate the formation of oligomers and amyloid plaques and thereby be crucial to AD pathogenesis.
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| 9. |
- Sillén, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Expanded high-resolution genetic study of 109 Swedish families with Alzheimer's disease
- 2008
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In: European Journal of Human Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1018-4813 .- 1476-5438. ; 16:2, s. 202-208
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects approximately 20 million persons all over the world. There are both sporadic and familial forms of AD. We have previously reported a genome-wide linkage analysis on 71 Swedish AD families using 365 genotyped microsatellite markers. In this study, we increased the number of individuals included in the original 71 analysed families besides adding 38 new families. These 109 families were genotyped for 1100 novel microsatellite markers. The present study reports on the linkage data generated from the non-overlapping genotypes from the first genome scan and the genotypes of the present scan, which results in a total of 1289 successfully genotyped markers at an average density of 2.85 cM on 468 individuals from 109 AD families. Non-parametric linkage analysis yielded a significant multipoint LOD score in chromosome 19q13, the region harbouring the major susceptibility gene APOE, both for the whole set of families (LOD = 5.0) and the APOE epsilon 4-positive subgroup made up of 63 families (LOD = 5.3). Other suggestive linkage peaks that were observed in the original genome scan of 71 Swedish AD families were not detected in this extended analysis, and the previously reported linkage signals in chromosomes 9, 10 and 12 were not replicated.
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| 10. |
- Sillén, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Linkage Analysis of Autopsy-Confirmed Familial Alzheimer Disease Supports an Alzheimer Disease Locus in 8q24
- 2011
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In: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 31:2, s. 109-118
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background/Aims: We have previously reported the results of an extended genome-wide scan of Swedish Alzheimer disease (AD)-affected families; in this paper, we analyzed a subset of these families with autopsy-confirmed AD. Methods: We report the fine-mapping, using both microsatellite markers and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in the observed maximum logarithm of the odds (LOD)-2 unit (LODmax-2) region under the identified linkage peak, linkage analysis of the fine-mapping data with additionally analyzed pedigrees, and association analysis of SNPs selected from candidate genes in the linked interval. The subset was made on the criterion of at least one autopsy-confirmed AD case per family, resulting in 24 families. Results: Linkage analysis of a family subset having at least one autopsy-confirmed AD case showed a significant nonparametric single-point LOD score of 4.4 in 8q24. Fine-mapping under the linkage peak with 10 microsatellite markers yielded an increase in the multipoint (mpt) LOD score from 2.1 to 3.0. SNP genotyping was performed on 21 selected candidate transcripts of the LODmax-2 region. Both family-based association and linkage analysis were performed on extended material from 30 families, resulting in a suggestive linkage at peak marker rs6577853 (mpt LOD score = 2.4). Conclusion: The 8q24 region has been implicated to be involved in AD etiology.
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