Bowser R, Reilly S
Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15261, USA.
Neurosci Lett. 1998 Sep 11;253(3):163-6. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3940(98)00636-3.
The presence of reactive microglia and astrocytes is a common observation in Alzheimer's disease brain. Microglia are present within the numerous beta-amyloid containing neuritic plaques, whereas reactive astrocytes usually surround the plaque perimeter. These glial cells express and secrete numerous neurotrophic and neurotoxic factors that contribute to the etiology of the disease. The molecular mechanisms that dictate glial cell activation and subsequent alternative gene expression are currently unknown. In the present study we determine that activated microglia in AD brain express the FAC1 protein, a developmentally regulated gene product, while astrocytes fail to express significant levels of FAC1 protein. Since FAC1 is a putative DNA binding protein, expression in microglia during AD suggests that FAC1 participates in the regulation of alternative gene expression.
反应性小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞的存在是阿尔茨海默病大脑中的常见现象。小胶质细胞存在于众多含有β-淀粉样蛋白的神经炎性斑块内，而反应性星形胶质细胞通常围绕着斑块周边。这些神经胶质细胞表达并分泌多种神经营养和神经毒性因子，这些因子促成了该疾病的病因。目前尚不清楚决定神经胶质细胞激活及随后的选择性基因表达的分子机制。在本研究中，我们确定阿尔茨海默病大脑中激活的小胶质细胞表达FAC1蛋白，这是一种受发育调节的基因产物，而星形胶质细胞未能表达显著水平的FAC1蛋白。由于FAC1是一种假定的DNA结合蛋白，其在阿尔茨海默病期间于小胶质细胞中的表达表明FAC1参与了选择性基因表达的调控。
