(Stroke. 1996;27:2080-2085.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
the Departments of Pharmacology (E.L., L.W.) and Pathology (E.L.), New York University Medical Center, New York, NY; and the Department of Neuroscience Pharmacology, Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research, Division of Warner-Lambert, Ann Arbor, Mich (L.C.W.).
Correspondence to Efrat Levy, PhD, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Ave, MSB249, New York, NY. E-mail levye01@mcrcr.med.nyu.edu.
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Methods We performed immunohistochemical analyses of brain sections of aged squirrel and rhesus monkeys with antiamyloid-ß and anticystatin C antibodies and sequenced the cystatin C cDNA of these monkeys.
Results Cerebral amyloid in aged squirrel and rhesus monkeys, previously shown to be immunoreactive with antiamyloid-ß antibodies, reacts also with antibodies to cystatin C. While the predicted amino acid sequence in rhesus monkeys differs from the human sequence by four residues, that of the squirrel monkeys has seven additional amino acid substitutions, one of which is Leu68Met.
Conclusions The presence of a mutation in squirrel monkeys similar to the one found in HCHWA-I suggests that alterations in cystatin C may influence the likelihood that amyloid will be deposited in the walls of cerebral blood vessels. These observations support the utilization of the monkeys as models to study CAA.
Key Words: aging Alzheimer's disease amyloid cystatins monkeys
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Cystatin C11 or
-trace12 is a basic, low-molecular-weight serum protein found in all body fluids and tissues examined11 12 13 14 15 16 17 and is 5.5 times more concentrated in the cerebrospinal fluid than in plasma.18 It is composed of 120 amino acid residues, with a molecular weight of 13 260 D.19 Cystatin C has the cysteine protease inhibitory property that is shared by the members of the cystatin superfamily including stefins, cystatins, and kininogens.20 21 Comparison of the genes encoding cystatin C, isolated from normal tissue and from the brain of an HCHWA-I patient, revealed their sequence identity except for a single mutation in the Icelandic gene.22 This mutation cosegregated with the disease in every case.23 24 The amyloid protein isolated from the leptomeninges of HCHWA-I patients starts at position 11 of the normal urinary cystatin C and has an amino acid substitution, Leu to Gln, at position 689 10 25 within the segment that contains the purported active site of all known cystatins.20
Immunohistochemical studies of patients with CAA and HCHWA-D, but not HCHWA-I, have demonstrated dual staining of vessels with antibodies to Aß and cystatin C. Colocalization of cystatin C with Aß in cerebrovascular amyloid deposits was most extensive in brains of patients with CAA-related hemorrhage but was also found in amyloidotic microvessels from patients without hemorrhages.26 27 28 29 30 31 32 It was suggested that in these patients cystatin C deposition occurs secondarily to Aß deposition and may play a role in the development of cerebral hemorrhage.
Nonhuman primates are good models for studying age-associated changes in the brain. Several neuropathological changes similar to those present in persons with Alzheimer's disease and normal aged humans have been found in senescent nonhuman primates.33 34 35 The most extensively studied aged primates are rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), Old World primates with a life span of 35 to 40 years,35 and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus), New World primates with a life span of 25 to 30 years.34 Amyloid deposition in aged rhesus monkeys predominates as senile plaques with relatively minor vascular involvement; however, in aged squirrel monkeys cerebrovascular deposits usually are more conspicuous than are senile plaques.34 36 The amyloid found in the brains of aged squirrel monkeys is associated primarily with intracerebral and meningeal capillaries and arterioles and occurs to a lesser degree as senile plaques.34
We originally hypothesized that a species-specific amino acid difference in Aß or ßPP may contribute to CAA in aged squirrel monkeys. However, the predicted amino acid sequence of the Aß is identical to that in normal humans and rhesus monkeys; overall, ßPP751 in the squirrel monkey differs from the human sequence only by four amino acids near the N-terminus.37 The lack of amino acid differences in the Aß sequence and the overall high degree of homology between squirrel monkey and human ßPP suggest that other factors most likely predispose aged squirrel monkeys to CAA. To determine whether CAA in squirrel monkeys might be related to a specific amino acid substitution in cystatin C, perhaps similar to that found in HCHWA-I, we sequenced the cDNA for cystatin C in squirrel monkeys and rhesus monkeys and compared them with the normal and mutated human forms.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Sequence Analysis
Total RNA was purified from frozen tissues by homogenization in 5 mol/L guanidine isothiocyanate, followed by precipitation in 4 mol/L LiCl and then phenol chloroform extraction.38 First strand cDNA synthesis in 40 µL reaction contained 10 µg RNA, 2 µg random hexamer, 46 U RNasin (Promega), 0.1 mol/L dithiothreitol, 0.5 mmol/L dNTPs, and 2 µL SuperScript Reverse transcriptase (Life Technologies) in reverse transcription reaction buffer and was incubated at 37°C for 90 minutes. The reaction was stopped at 65°C and used in the polymerase chain reaction with primers corresponding to sequences flanking the full-length cystatin C sequence, including sequences encoding the signal sequence. The amplification reaction solution (100 µL) contained 4 µL cDNA products, 25 pmol each forward and reverse primers, 200 µmol/L dNTPs, 2 mmol/L MgCl2, and 2.5 U Taq DNA polymerase (Boehringer-Mannheim) in 1x Taq buffer. The samples went through 25 cycles of 94°C for 1 minute, 55°C for 0.5 minute, and 72°C for 1 minute, ending with 72°C for 10 minutes. Amplified fragments were analyzed on polyacrylamide gels, and 1 µL was cloned into pCR II vector (Invitrogen). Sequence analysis of cloned DNA was performed by the dideoxy chain termination method with TaqTrack (Promega).
Immunohistochemistry
Sections of formalin-fixed brains were deparaffinized and treated with 100% formic acid for 10 to 30 minutes to enhance amyloid staining. Endogenous peroxidase activity was quenched with 0.3% H2O2 in methanol for 30 minutes. The sections were blocked with phosphate buffer containing 10% fetal calf serum and 0.2% bovine serum albumin for 1 hour, followed by incubation with primary antibodies in the same solution overnight at 4°C. Then the sections were incubated with biotin-conjugated anti-mouse (1:200) or anti-rabbit (1:800) antibodies (Sigma) and with streptavidinhorseradish peroxidase conjugate (1:300) (Amersham), each for 60 minutes at room temperature. Horseradish peroxidase activity was developed with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine with or without 0.005% cobalt hexachloride (Sigma). The following antibodies were used: polyclonal antibody against cystatin C (Axell) (1:800); the same antibody absorbed with cystatin C expressed as glutathione S-transferase fusion protein and immobilized on agarose beads (1:800); rabbit preimmune serum (1:800); and monoclonal antibody to Aß (4G8, Senetek) (1:200).
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
Immunohistochemical analysis of brain sections of aged squirrel monkeys and rhesus monkeys with anticystatin C antibodies revealed staining of cerebrovascular amyloid deposits and also parenchymal, plaquelike deposits. Staining of adjacent sections with antibodies to Aß demonstrated an abundance of positive cerebrovascular amyloid deposits and a few plaques in aged squirrel monkeys' brains and mainly plaques in brain sections of aged rhesus monkeys. Only some of these amyloid deposits were labeled with anticystatin C antibodies (Fig 3
). These deposits demonstrated a strong reaction with the anti-Aß antibody and a much weaker reaction with the anticystatin C antibody (Fig 3
). Preimmune serum and polyclonal anticystatin C antiserum preabsorbed with cystatin C did not label the amyloid, indicating the specificity of the reaction.
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The Leu68Met substitution in the squirrel monkey is within the highly conserved region of the cystatin gene family.20 The amyloid protein isolated from the leptomeninges of Icelandic patients with HCHWA-I is composed of cystatin C containing a single amino acid substitution, Leu68Gln.9 10 25 Peptide structure analyses of the cystatin C proteins by the Kyte-Doolittle method reveal a possible increase in the hydrophilicity of the region encompassing the amino acid substitution in the HCHWA-I amyloid subunit. A slight increase in the hydrophilicity of the same region is predicted also for squirrel monkey cystatin C. Chou-Fasman and Garnier-Osguthorpe-Robson methods make secondary structure predictions for a protein sequence.50 51 Both predict an increased
-helix, N-terminal to the area of the second hairpin loop of the rhesus monkey and squirrel monkey cystatin C compared with that of the human. Of special interest is the Val10Leu substitution in the squirrel monkey cystatin C since this residue was shown to affect the specificity of the inhibitor for different cysteine proteinases.47 The peptide structure predictions suggest that the amino acid substitutions can affect the structure of the proteins. Differences in the inhibitory activity and deposition of human, rhesus monkey, and squirrel monkey cystatin C could result from altered protein structure, substitution of critical active site amino acids, or a combination of both effects.
Several studies have demonstrated that CAA patients with both Aß and cystatin C immunoreactivity in amyloidotic cerebral vessels frequently suffered fatal subcortical hemorrhages, possibly attributable to CAA.26 27 28 29 30 31 In these cases, Aß composed of the normal human sequence forms the amyloid and normal human cystatin C protein is thought to be secondarily deposited. In patients with HCHWA-D, a variant of Aß is predominantly deposited in cerebral vessel walls together with the deposition of normal cystatin C.32 In HCHWA-I patients, a variant of cystatin C forms the amyloid, without any Aß deposition. However, in one hemorrhagic CAA patient not of Icelandic origin, the same variant of cystatin C (Leu68Gln) colocalized with Aß in cerebral vessel walls.52 Although the amyloid deposited in the two HCHWA disorders is biochemically different, the deposition in vessel walls leads to similar clinical phenomena. We propose that specific amino acid substitutions in Aß or cystatin C may modulate massive amyloid deposition in the walls of cerebral blood vessels, weakening the vessel walls and thereby increasing the probability of hemorrhagic stroke. Different substitutions may result in different pathological manifestations. It was previously suggested that the colocalization of both proteins is a fundamental factor in CAA-induced brain hemorrhage in the elderly.28
None of the aged rhesus monkeys tested had evidence of intracerebral hemorrhage; however, colocalization of Aß and cystatin C is demonstrated in the predominant parenchymal deposits as well as vascular amyloid in all of them, with quantitative differences between individual monkeys. Similarly, the amyloid in cerebral vessel walls of all the aged squirrel monkeys is dually stained with anti-Aß antibodies and anticystatin C antibodies. While there is no evidence that squirrel monkeys are particularly predisposed to cerebral hemorrhage, no systematic, large-scale study of hemorrhage in aged squirrel monkeys has been conducted. None of the rhesus and squirrel monkeys used in this study died of natural causes, and we cannot rule out the possibility that, given the opportunity to reach older age, they may have developed strokes. One female squirrel monkey known as "Baker" died at the estimated age of 27 years from renal failure. The histopathological analysis of her brain demonstrated abundant amyloid deposition34 and evidence of prior mild hemorrhage (L.G. Wolfe [Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine] and C.R. Horton, personal communication, 1987).
The processes involving amyloid formation and deposition, the role of amyloid in stroke, and the effect of dual deposition of more than one protein are not known. The specific cystatin C sequences in humans, in rhesus monkeys, and in squirrel monkeys may be responsible for the variability of the amyloid depositions observed. Specific amino acid sequences may affect the binding affinity to other proteins, including cysteine proteinases and possibly Aß. Furthermore, the amino acid substitutions in the squirrel monkey cystatin C may contribute to the predominant deposition of amyloid in cerebral vessel walls. Both species of monkeys are useful models for studying the dual deposition of Aß and cystatin C in the brains of aged individuals as well as the cellular and molecular factors that contribute to CAA in humans.
| Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
|---|
|
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
Received March 19, 1996; revision received August 8, 1996; accepted August 15, 1996.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
2. Glenner GG, Wong CW. Alzheimer's disease: initial report of the purification and characterization of a novel cerebrovascular amyloid protein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun.. 1984;120:885-890.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
3. Kang J, Lemaire HG, Unterbeck A, Salbaum JM, Masters CL, Grzeschik KH, Multhaup G, Beyreuther K, Muller-Hill B. The precursor of Alzheimer's disease amyloid A4 protein resembles a cell-surface receptor. Nature. 1987;325:733-736.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
4.
Levy E, Carman MD, Fernandez-Madrid IJ, Power MD, Lieberburg I, van Duinen SG, Bots GT, Luyendijk W, Frangione B. Mutation of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid gene in HCHWA-D. Science. 1990;248:1124-1126.
5. Hendriks L, van Duijn CM, Cras P, Cruts M, Van Hul W, van Harskamp F, Warren A, McInnis MG, Antonarakis SE, Martin JJ, Hofman A, Van Broeckhoven C. Presenile dementia and cerebral hemorrhage linked to a mutation at codon 692 of the ßPP gene. Nature Genet. 1992;1:218-221.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
6. Arnason A. Apoplexie und ihre Vererbung. Acta Psychiatr Neurol Suppl. 1935;7:1-180.
7.
Gudmundsson G, Hallgrimsson J, Jonasson TA, Bjarnason O. Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis. Brain. 1972;95:387-404.
8. Olafsson I, Thorsteinsson L, Jensson O. The molecular pathology of HCCAA causing brain hemorrhage. Brain Pathol. 1996;6:121-126.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
9.
Ghiso J, Jensson O, Frangione B. Amyloid fibrils in hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis is a variant of
trace basic protein (cystatin C). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.. 1986;83:2974-2978.
10.
Cohen DH, Feiner H, Jensson O, Frangione B. Amyloid fibril in hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis (HCHWA) is related to the gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine protein
trace. J Exp Med. 1983;158:623-628.
11.
Cejka J, Fleischmann LE. Post-
-globulin: isolation and physicochemical characterization. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1973;157:168-176.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
12.
Colle A, Guinet R, Leclercq M, Manuel Y. Occurrence of ß2-microglobulin and post-
globulin in human semen. Clin Chim Acta.. 1976;67:93-97.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
13.
Tu GF, Aldred AR, Southwell BR, Schreiber G. Strong conservation of the expression of cystatin C gene in choroid plexus. Am J Physiol. 1992;263:R195-R200.
14.
Hochwald GM, Pepe AJ, Thorbecke GJ. Trace proteins in biological fluids, IV: physicochemical properties and sites of formation of
trace and ß trace proteins. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1967;124:961-966.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
15.
Lofberg H, Grubb AO, Brun A. Human brain cortical neurons contain
trace: rapid isolation, immunohistochemical and physicochemical characterization of human
trace. Biomed Res. 1981;2:298-306.
16.
Lofberg H, Stromblad L-G, Grubb AO, Olsson S-O. Demonstration of
trace in normal and neoplastic endocrine A cells of the pancreatic islets: an immunohistochemical study in monkey, rat and man. Biomed Res. 1981;2:527-535.
17.
Lofberg H, Nilsson KE, Stromblad LG, Lasson A, Olsson SO. Demonstration of
-trace in normal endocrine cells of the adrenal medula and in phaeochromocytoma: an immunohistochemical study in monkey, dog and man. Acta Endocr.. 1982;100:595-598.
18.
Lofberg H, Grubb AO. Quantitation of
-trace in human biological fluids: indications for production in the central nervous system. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1979;39:619-626.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
19.
Grubb A, Lofberg H. Human
-trace, a basic microprotein: amino acid sequence and presence in the adenohypophysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982;79:3024-3027.
20.
Barrett AJ, Davies ME, Grubb A. The place of human
-trace (cystatin C) amongst the cysteine protease inhibitors. Biochem Biophys Res Commun.. 1984;120:631-636.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
21.
Bobek LA, Levine MJ. Cystatins-inhibitors of cysteine proteinases. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 1992;3:307-332.
22.
Levy E, Lopez-Otin C, Ghiso J, Geltner D, Frangione B. Stroke in Icelandic patients with hereditary amyloid angiopathy is related to a mutation in the cystatin C gene, an inhibitor of cysteine proteases. J Exp Med. 1989;169:1771-1778.
23. Palsdottir A, Abrahamson M, Thorsteinsson L, Arnason A, Olafsson I, Grubb A, Jensson O. Mutation in cystatin C gene causes hereditary brain hemorrhage. Lancet. 1988;2:603-604.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
24. Abrahamson M, Olafsson I, Palsdottir A, Ulvsback M, Lundwall A, Jensson O, Grubb A. Structure and expression of the human cystatin C gene. Biochem J. 1990;268:287-294.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
25. Ghiso J, Pons-Estel B, Frangione B. Hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy: the amyloid fibrils contain a protein which is a variant of cystatin C, an inhibitor of lysosomal cysteine proteases. Biochem Biophys Res Commun.. 1986;136:548-554.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
26.
Vinters HV, Nishimura GS, Secor DL, Pardridge WM. Immunoreactive A4 and
-trace peptide colocalization in amyloidotic arteriolar lesions in brains of patients with AD. Am J Pathol. 1990;137:233-240.[Abstract]
27.
Vinters HV, Secor DL, Pardridge WM, Gray F. Immunohistochemical study of cerebral amyloid angiopathy, III: widespread AD A4 peptide in cerebral microvessel walls colocalizes with
trace in patients with leukoencephalopathy. Ann Neurol. 1990;28:34-42.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
28.
Maruyama K, Ikeda S, Ishihara T, Allsop D, Yanagisawa N. Immunohistochemical characterization of cerebrovascular amyloid in 46 autopsied cases using antibodies to ß protein and cystatin C. Stroke. 1990;21:397-403.
29.
Yong WH, Robert ME, Secor DL, Kleikamp TJ, Vinters HV. Cerebral hemorrhage with biopsy-proved amyloid angiopathy. Arch Neurol. 1992;49:51-58.
30.
Fujihara S, Shimode K, Nakamura M, Kobayashi S, Tsunematsu T. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy with the deposition of
trace (cystatin C) and ß protein. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord.. 1988;2:266.
31. Itoh Y, Yamada M, Hayakawa M, Otomo E, Miyatake T. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy: a significant cause of cerebellar as well as lobar cerebral hemorrhage in the elderly. J Neurol Sci. 1993;116:135-141.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
32. Haan J, Maat-Schieman MLC, van Duinen SG, Jensson O, Thorsteinsson L, Roos RAC. Co-localization of ß/A4 and cystatin C in cortical blood vessels in Dutch, but not in Icelandic hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis. Acta Neurol Scand. 1994;89:367-371.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
33. Wisniewski HM, Terry RD. Morphology of the aging brain, human and animal. Prog Brain Res. 1973;40:167-186.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
34. Walker LC, Masters C, Beyreuther K, Price DL. Amyloid in the brains of aged squirrel monkeys. Acta Neuropathol (Berl).. 1990;80:381-387.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
35. Price DL, Martin LJ, Sisodia SS, Walker LC, Voytko ML, Wagster MV, Cork LC, Koliatsos VE. The aged nonhuman primate: a model for the behavioral and brain abnormalities occurring in aged humans. In: Terry RD, Katzman R, Blick KL, eds. Alzheimer's Disease. New York, NY: Raven Press; 1994:231-245.
36. Walker LC. Animal models of cerebral amyloidosis. J Clin Neurosci. 1991;56:86-96.
37. Levy E, Amorim A, Frangione B, Walker LC. ß-Amyloid precursor gene in squirrel monkeys with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Neurobiol Aging. 1995;16:805-808.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
38. Cathala G, Savouret J-F, Mendez B, West BL, Karin M, Martial JA, Baxter JD. A method for isolation of intact, translationally active ribonucleic acid. DNA. 1983;2:329-335.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
39. Popovic T, Brzin J, Ritonja A, Turk V. Different forms of human cystatin C. Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler.. 1990;371:575-580.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
40. Machleidt W, Thiele U, Laber B, Assfalg-Machleidt I, Esterl A, Wiegand G, Kos J, Turk V, Bode W. Mechanism of inhibition of papain by chicken egg white cystatin. FEBS Lett.. 1989;243:234-238.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
41. Abrahamson M, Mason RW, Hansson H, Buttle DJ, Grubb A, Ohlsson K. Human cystatin C: role of the N-terminal segment in the inhibition of human cysteine proteinases and its inactivation by leukocyte elastase. Biochem J. 1991;273:621-626.
42.
Abrahamson M, Ritonja A, Brown MA, Grubb A, Machleidt W, Barrett AJ. Identification of the probable inhibitory reactive sites of the cysteine proteinase inhibitors human cystatin C and chicken cystatin. J Biol Chem. 1987;262:9688-9694.
43. Abrahamson M, Buttle DJ, Mason RW, Hansson H, Grubb A, Lilja H, Ohlsson K. Regulation of cystatin C activity by serine proteinases. Biomed Biochim Acta. 1991;50:587-593.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
44. Shibuya K, Kaji H, Itoh T, Ohyama Y, Tsujikami A, Tate S, Takeda A, Kumagai I, Hirao I, Miura K, Inagaki F, Samejima T. Human cystatin A is inactivated by engineered truncation: the NH2-terminal region of the cysteine proteinase inhibitor is essential for expression of its inhibitory activity. Biochemistry. 1995;34:12185-12192.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
45. Bjork I, Pol E, Raub-Segall E, Abrahamson M, Rowan AD, Mort JS. Differential changes in the association and dissociation rate constants for binding of cystatins to target proteinases occurring on N-terminal truncation of the inhibitors indicate that the interaction mechanism varies with different enzymes. Biochem J. 1994;299:219-225.
46. Grubb A, Abrahamson M, Olafsson I, Trojnar J, Kasprzykowska R, Kasprzykowski F, Grzonka Z. Synthesis of cysteine proteinase inhibitors structurally based on the proteinase interacting N-terminal region of human cystatin C. Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler. 1990;371(suppl):137-144.
47. Lindahl P, Ripoll D, Abrahamson M, Mort JS, Storer AC. Evidence for the interaction of valine-10 in cystatin C with the S2 subsite of cathepsin B. Biochemistry. 1994;33:4384-4392.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
48. Bode W, Engh R, Musil D, Laber B, Stubbs M, Huber R, Turk V. Mechanism of interaction of cysteine proteinases and their protein. Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler. 1990;371(suppl):111-118.
49. Bode W, Engh R, Musil D, Thiele U, Huber R, Karshikov A, Brzin J, Kos J, Turk V. The 2.0 Å X-ray crystal structure of chicken egg white cystatin and its possible mode of interaction with cysteine proteinases. EMBO J. 1988;7:2593-2599.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
50. Garnier J, Osguthorpe DJ, Robson B. Analysis of the accuracy and implications of simple methods for predicting the secondary structure of globular proteins. J Mol Biol. 1978;120:97-120.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
51. Chou PY, Fasman GD. Empirical predictions of protein conformation. Annu Rev Biochem. 1978;47:251-276.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
52.
Graffagnino C, Herbstreith MH, Schmechel DE, Levy E, Roses AD, Alberts MJ. Cystatin C mutation in an elderly man with sporadic amyloid angiopathy and intracerebral hemorrhage. Stroke. 1995;26:2190-2193.
Department of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The authors have compared the brains of aged rhesus monkeys with those of aged squirrel monkeys. They did this because they knew that senile plaques predominate in the rhesus, while congophilic angiopathy predominates in the squirrel monkey. The authors searched for cystatin C in the amyloid deposits because they knew that in one form of human congophilic angiopathy with cerebral hemorrhage an abnormal form of cystatin C is found in the amyloid deposits. The authors demonstrate that a related, abnormal form of cystatin C is present in the vascular amyloid of the squirrel monkeys. The amyloid in the senile plaques of the rhesus also was associated with cystatin C, but this variant of cystatin C lacked the amino acid substitution at the leu68 site that was common to both the human disease (HCHWA-I) and the vascular deposits of squirrel monkeys.
The authors conclude that this abnormal cystatin C may be responsible for the increased deposition of amyloid in cerebral blood vessels of squirrel monkeys. It remains to be seen whether an abnormal cystatin C is also related to ß-amyloid deposition in aged humans generally and whether it is the amount of amyloid, the presence of cystatin C, or both that determines the susceptibility to hemorrhage.
| Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
|---|
|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
Carotid angioplasty and stenting: current status Can. Med. Assoc. J., May 1, 2000; 162(10): 1451 - 1454. |
||||
![]() |
J. Brzin, B. Rogelj, T. Popovic, B. Strukelj, and A. Ritonja Clitocypin, a New Type of Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitor from Fruit Bodies of Mushroom Clitocybe nebularis J. Biol. Chem., June 30, 2000; 275(26): 20104 - 20109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Stroke Home | Subscriptions | Archives | Feedback | Authors | Help | AHA Journals Home | Search Copyright © 1996 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. |