Extracellular Neurofibrillary Tangles Are Immunopositive for the 40 Carboxy-Terminal Sequence of β-Amyloid Protein

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) form in a number of neurodegenerative disorders. In Alzheimer disease (AD), intracellular NFTs (iNFTs) develop along with extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits. Reports on whether NFTs have Aβ associated with them are inconsistent. Here we study NFTs and their direct relationship with Aβ-like fragments in cases of AD, Down Syndrome, and the parkinsonism-dementia complex of Guam, using a panel of antibodies which recognize different epitopes of Aβ. In all diseases, as well as in the aged controls, the majority of extracellular NFTs (eNFTs) are stained with antibodies recognizing the 40 carboxy-terminal of Aβ, but not other epitopes. Such staining is morphologically distinguishable from the previously described Aβ positive ‘tangle associated amyloid deposits’ (TAADs), which surround some eNFTs, and are immunopositive for all epitopes of the Aβ molecule. Some iNFTs are immunoreactive with antibodies to the 42 carboxy-terminal epitope, and, to a lesser extent, with antibodies to midportions and more N-terminal epitopes of Aβ. These results may indicate a direct interaction between Aβ and NFTs, although secondary deposition or crossreactivity with other epitopes associated with NFTs cannot be ruled out.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: