Summary
The assembly and deposition of amyloid ß-protein (Aß) in the brain are fundamental pathological events in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). However, it remains to be determined how a nontoxic, monomeric Aß converts to its assembled toxic form.. We identified a unique Aß species that tightly binds to GM1 ganglioside and appears during the early pathological changes of AD. Based on the molecular characteristics of GM1 ganglioside-bound Aß (GAß), we hypothesized that Aß adopts an altered conformation through binding to GM1 ganglioside and acts as a seed for A8 aggregation. We confirmed GAß generation in the brain using a novel monoclonal antibody against purified GAß. While, the specific mechanism of GAB generation in the brain remains to be clarified, results from animal models suggest that GM1 expression and distribution are altered in AD brains. Furthermore, our recent finding shows that specific, selectively expressed gangliosides preferentially facilitate assembly of some hereditary variations of Aß that can lead to accumulation. The pivotal roles of gangliosides in the induction of Aß assembly and deposition of Aß in the brain are discussed.
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© 2006 Springer-Verlag Tokyo
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Yanagisawa, K. (2006). Ganglioside and Alzheimer’s Disease. In: Hirabayashi, Y., Igarashi, Y., Merrill, A.H. (eds) Sphingolipid Biology. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/4-431-34200-1_24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/4-431-34200-1_24
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-34198-7
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