Miledi R, Dueñas Z, Martinez-Torres A, Kawas C H, Eusebi F
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4550, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Feb 10;101(6):1760-3. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0308224100. Epub 2004 Jan 28.
About a decade ago, cell membranes from the electric organ of Torpedo and from the rat brain were transplanted to frog oocytes, which thus acquired functional Torpedo and rat neurotransmitter receptors. Nevertheless, the great potential that this method has for studying human diseases has remained virtually untapped. Here, we show that cell membranes from the postmortem brains of humans that suffered Alzheimer's disease can be microtransplanted to the plasma membrane of Xenopus oocytes. We show also that these postmortem membranes carry neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-operated channels that are still functional, even after they have been kept frozen for many years. This method provides a new and powerful approach to study directly the functional characteristics and structure of receptors, channels, and other membrane proteins of the Alzheimer's brain. This knowledge may help in understanding the basis of Alzheimer's disease and also help in developing new treatments.
大约十年前，电鳐电器官和大鼠大脑的细胞膜被移植到蛙卵母细胞中，蛙卵母细胞因此获得了功能性的电鳐和大鼠神经递质受体。然而，这种方法在研究人类疾病方面的巨大潜力几乎尚未得到开发。在这里，我们表明，患有阿尔茨海默病的人类死后大脑的细胞膜可以微移植到非洲爪蟾卵母细胞的质膜上。我们还表明，这些死后的膜携带神经递质受体和电压门控通道，即使在冷冻多年后它们仍然具有功能。这种方法为直接研究阿尔茨海默病大脑中受体、通道和其他膜蛋白的功能特性和结构提供了一种新的强大方法。这些知识可能有助于理解阿尔茨海默病的发病基础，也有助于开发新的治疗方法。
