Faculty Bibliography

The main objective of this study was to investigate the biological function of beta amyloid precursor protein (APP), in particular its nerve growth factor-like activity. We hypothesize that the extracellular domain containing the sequence RERMS, amino acids 328-332 of APP(695), represents the active site for this function. Binding assays using peptide fragments of this domain have demonstrated specific and saturable binding to the cell surface with affinity in the low nanomolar range. This induced our quest for an APP-specific receptor. We chose different peptide fragments of the RERMS domain as ligands and displacing agents on affinity columns to purify APP-binding molecules. Amino acid microsequencing yielded partial sequences of serum albumin, actin, two novel proteins of 41 and 63kDa, and human Collapsin Response Mediator Protein-2 (hCRMP-2). Because both APP and hCRMP-2 promote neuronal outgrowth and use a common signaling pathway, APP could be acting through a semaphorin receptor as well

A variant of the cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin C, forms amyloid deposited in the cerebral vasculature of patients with hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Icelandic type (HCHWA-I), leading to cerebral hemorrhages early in life. However, cystatin C is also implicated in neuronal degenerative diseases in which it does not form the amyloid protein, such as Alzheimer disease (AD). Accumulating data suggest involvement of cystatin C in the pathogenic processes leading to amyloid deposition in cerebral vasculature and most significantly to cerebral hemorrhage in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). This review focuses on cell culture and animal models used to study the role of cystatin C in these processes

Amyloid protein deposited in cerebral vessel walls and diffuse plaques of patients with hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Dutch type (HCHWA-D), is similar to the 40-42 residues amyloid beta (Abeta) in vessel walls and senile plaques in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), Down's syndrome, and familial and sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). In 1990 we sequenced the amyloid beta-protein precursor (AbetaPP) gene from HCHWA-D patients revealing a single mutation that results in an amino acid substitution, Abeta E22Q. Subsequent identification of additional mutations in the AbetaPP gene in familial AD (FAD) pedigrees revealed that whereas substitutions in the middle of Abeta, residues Abeta21-23, are predominantly vasculotropic, those found amino- or carboxyl-terminal to the Abeta sequence within AbetaPP enhance amyloid parenchymal plaque deposition. Studies of transfected cells showed that substitutions amino- or carboxyl-terminal to Abeta lead to either greater Abeta production or to enhanced secretion of the more hydrophobic thus more fibrillogenic Abeta1-42. Substitutions in the center of Abeta facilitate rapid aggregation and fibrillization, slower clearance across the blood-brain barrier and perivascular drainage to the systemic circulation, possibly higher resistance to proteolysis, and enhanced toxicity towards endothelial and smooth muscle cells. However, most AD patients have no genetic defects in AbetaPP, indicating that other factors may alter Abeta production, conformation, and/or clearance initiating the disease process

The characterization of proteins in their native state is essential for the understanding of patho-genic isoforms. A variant of the cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin C is the major constituent of the amyloid deposited in the cerebral vasculature of patients with the Icelandic form of hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis (HCHWA-I). In order to study the nature of the bio-physical changes owing to the Leu68Gln substitution in cystatin C, we have developed a purification procedure of human cystatin C in its native state. The protein is isolated from media of stably transfected tissue culture cells using physiological conditions that preclude protein denaturation. The importance of mild purification conditions is underscored by the finding that denaturation of the wild-type and variant proteins facilitates a similar folding of both molecules, diminishing their differences in structure and biophysical properties. Following native purification conditions, variant cystatin C has a distinct structure compared to the wild-type protein

The use of murine cerebrovascular cells, that is, endothelial and smooth muscle cells, has not been widely employed as a cell culture model for the investigation of cellular mechanisms involved in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Difficulties in isolation and propagation of murine cerebrovascular cells and insufficient yields for molecular and cell culture studies have deterred investigators from using mice as a source for cerebrovascular cells in culture. To date, most of the literature has described isolation of smooth muscle cells or endothelial cells from human, canine, rat, guinea pig, or other large animals. In recent years, several transgenic mice have been established that show CAA pathology; therefore, it is necessary to re-examine the use of mouse cerebrovascular cells as an important model for cell culture studies. We have optimized the isolation procedure of (1) murine microvessels, (2) smooth muscle cells, and (3) endothelial cells to yield a sufficient population of cells for experimentation purposes. Comparisons with rat and human isolation procedures are also noted. Murine smooth muscle cells isolated using the methodology described herein exhibit the classic 'hill and valley' morphology and are immunoreactive for smooth muscle cell-specific alpha-actin, whereas endothelial cells demonstrate a more 'cobblestone' appearance and stain for von Willebrand factor or factor VIII-related antigen

The colocalization of cystatin C, an inhibitor of cysteine proteases, with amyloid beta (Abeta) in parenchymal and vascular amyloid deposits in brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients may reflect cystatin C involvement in amyloidogenesis. We therefore sought to determine the association of cystatin C with Abeta. Immunofluorescence analysis of transfected cultured cells demonstrated colocalization of cystatin C and beta amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) intracellularly and on the cell surface. Western blot analysis of immunoprecipitated cell lysate or medium proteins revealed binding of cystatin C to full-length betaAPP and to secreted betaAPP (sbetaAPP). Deletion mutants of betaAPP localized the cystatin C binding site within betaAPP to the Abeta region. Cystatin C association with betaAPP resulted in increased sbetaAPP but did not affect levels of secreted Abeta. Analysis of the association of cystatin C and Abeta demonstrated a specific, saturable and high affinity binding between cystatin C and both Abeta(1-42) and Abeta(1-40). Notably, cystatin C association with Abeta results in a concentration-dependent inhibition of Abeta fibril formation