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Biomedical subjects

George Perry

Publications and source records attributed to George Perry.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Amyloid-beta in Alzheimer disease: the null versus the alternate hypotheses.

For nearly 20 years, the primary focus for researchers studying Alzheimer disease has been centered on amyloid-beta, such that the amyloid cascade hypothesis has become the "null hypothesis." Indeed, amyloid-beta is, by the current definition of the disease, an obligate player in pathophysiology, is toxic to neurons in vitro, and, perhaps most compelling, is increased by all of the human genetic influences on the disease. Therefore, targeting amyloid-beta is the focus of considerable basic and therapeutic interest. However, an increasingly vocal group of investigators are arriving at an "alternate hypothesis" stating that amyloid-beta, while certainly involved in the disease, is not an initiating event but rather is secondary to other pathogenic events. Furthermore and perhaps most contrary to current thinking, the alternate hypothesis proposes that the role of amyloid-beta is not as a harbinger of death but rather a protective response to neuronal insult. To determine which hypothesis relates best to Alzheimer disease requires a broader view of disease pathogenesis and is discussed herein.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2006

LRRK2 in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in LRRK2 encoding leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 are thus far the most frequent genetic cause associated with autosomal dominant and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). To examine whether LRRK2 is directly associated with neuropathology of PD and other related disorders, we analyzed LRRK2 in brains of patients affected by PD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) using highly specific antibodies to LRRK2. RESULTS: We demonstrated that anti-LRRK2 antibodies strongly labelled brainstem and cortical Lewy bodies, the pathological hallmarks of PD and DLB, respectively. In addition, anti-LRRK2 also labelled brain vasculature, axons, and neuronal cell bodies. Interestingly, the immunocytochemical profile of LRRK2 varied with different antibodies depending upon specific antigenic sites along the LRRK2 protein. All anti-LRRK2 antibodies tested that were raised against various regions of LRRK2, were found to be immunoreactive to recombinant LRRK2 on Western blots. However, only the antibodies raised against the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of LRRK2, but not the regions containing folded protein domains, were positive in immunolabeling of Lewy bodies, suggesting a differential exposure of specific antigenic sites of LRRK2 on tissue sections. CONCLUSION: We conclude that LRRK2 is a component of Lewy bodies in both PD and DLB, and therefore plays an important role in the Lewy body formation and disease pathogenesis. Information on the cellular localization of LRRK2 under normal and pathological conditions will deepen our understanding of its functions and molecular pathways relevant to the progression of PD and related disorders.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Alzheimer disease, the two-hit hypothesis: an update.

Given the relative modality of single-insult models to accurately reflect Alzheimer disease pathogenesis, based on studies on mitogenic and oxidative stress signaling pathways, we proposed a two-hit hypothesis 2 years ago stating that both oxidative stress and mitogenic dysregulation are necessary and sufficient to cause the disease and suggested that it may be a common mechanism for other neurodegenerative diseases as well (X. Zhu, A.K. Raina, G. Perry, M.A. Smith, Alzheimer's disease: the two-hit hypothesis, Lancet Neurol. 3 (2004) 219-226). Recent developments in the field confirm some important predictions of the hypothesis and shed new lights on potential mechanisms regarding how steady state may be achieved in sporadic AD cases and therefore, in our opinion, strengthen the hypothesis, which will be the focus of this review.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2006

Aberrant localization of importin alpha1 in hippocampal neurons in Alzheimer disease.

Since many nuclear proteins are ectopically localized in the cytoplasm in the vulnerable neurons in Alzheimer disease (AD), we speculated that there is failure of the cytoplasmic-nuclear transport machinery in AD. In support of this notion, we found that importin alpha1, an essential component of cytoplasmic-nuclear transport, is abnormally accumulated in Hirano bodies in vulnerable hippocampal neurons in AD. These data suggest a hindrance in importin-mediated cytoplasmic-nuclear transport in AD.

Actins↗
PubMed2006

Gonadotropins: a cohesive gender-based etiology of Alzheimer disease.

While there is ample experimental evidence supporting the role of estrogen in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease, recent inconclusive data regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT), specifically, the unexpected results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Memory Study has raised serious questions regarding the protective effects of estrogen. Because of this and other inconsistencies in the estrogen hypothesis, we propose that another hormone of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, luteinizing hormone, is a major factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. Specifically, we suspect that the increase in gonadotropin concentrations, and not the decrease in steroid hormone (e.g., estrogen) production following menopause/andropause, is a primary causative factor for the development of Alzheimer disease. In this review, we examine how the gonadotropins may play a central and determining role in modulating the susceptibility to, and progression of, Alzheimer disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2006

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR): evidence of gonadotropin-induced steroidogenesis in Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer disease (AD) is clinically characterized by progressive memory loss, impairments in behavior, language and visual-spatial skills and ultimately, death. Epidemiological data reporting the predisposition of women to AD has led to a number of lines of evidence suggesting that age-related changes in hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis following reproductive senescence, may contribute to the etiology of AD. Recent studies from our group and others have reported not only increases in circulating gonadotropins, namely luteinizing hormone (LH) in individuals with AD compared with control individuals, but also significant elevations of LH in vulnerable neuronal populations in individuals with AD compared to control cases as well as the highest density of gonadotropin receptors in the brain are found within the hippocampus, a region devastated in AD. However, while LH is higher in AD patients, the downstream consequences of this are incompletely understood. To begin to examine this issue, here, we examined the expression levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, which regulates the first key event in steroidogenesis, namely, the transport of cholesterol into the mitochondria, and is regulated by LH through the cyclic AMP second messenger pathway, in AD and control brain tissue. RESULTS: Our data revealed that StAR protein was markedly increased in both the cytoplasm of hippocampal pyramidal neurons as well as in the cytoplasm of other non-neuronal cell types from AD brains when compared with age-matched controls. Importantly, and suggestive of a direct mechanistic link, StAR protein expression in AD brains colocalized with LH receptor expression. CONCLUSION: Therefore, our findings suggest that LH is not only able to bind to its receptor and induce potentially pathogenic signaling in AD, but also that steroidogenic pathways regulated by LH may play a role in AD.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Increased expression of p130 in Alzheimer disease.

A number of recent findings support the notion of mechanistic parallels between Alzheimer disease (AD) and oncogenic processes, specifically, that neurons in AD, like cancer cells, display aberrant mitotic cell cycle re-entry. However, the mechanism that drives postmitotic neurons to reenter cell cycle remains elusive. In this study, we focused on the retinoblastoma-related protein p130 in AD. p130 is a transcriptional regulator that complexes with E2F4/5 in the nucleus and suppresses genes that regulate entry into the cell cycle. Interestingly, our results show that there are increases in p130 in cytoplasm of susceptible pyramidal neurons as well as neuroglia, often surrounding senile plaques, and within Hirano bodies in AD. By marked contrast, p130 is found at background levels in non-diseased, age-matched controls. Our data suggest that, despite its upregulation, the aberrant localization of p130 to the neuronal cytoplasm facilitates neuronal cell cycle re-entry in AD.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Malignant glioma progression and nitric oxide.

Glioblastoma multiforme, the most common of the malignant gliomas, carries a dismal prognosis in spite of the most aggressive therapy and recent advances in molecular pathways of glioma progression. Although it has received relatively little attention in the setting of malignant gliomas, nitric oxide metabolism may be intimately associated with the disease process. Interestingly, nitric oxide has both physiological roles (e.g., neurotransmitter-like activity, stimulation of cyclic GMP), and pathophysiological roles (e.g., neoplastic transformation, tumor neovascularization, induction of apoptosis, free radical damage). Moreover, whether nitric oxide is neuroprotective or neurotoxic in a given disease state, or whether it enhances or diminishes chemotherapeutic efficacy in malignant neoplasia, is unresolved. This review discusses the multifaceted activity of nitric oxide with particular reference to malignant gliomas.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed2006

Nanoparticle iron chelators: a new therapeutic approach in Alzheimer disease and other neurologic disorders associated with trace metal imbalance.

Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress may be a major etiologic factor in initiating and promoting neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease. Contributing to this, there is a dyshomeostasis of metal ions in Alzheimer disease with abnormally high levels of redox-active metals, particularly iron, in affected areas of the brain. Although it is unclear whether metal excesses are the sole cause of oxidative stress and neurodegeneration or a by-product of neuronal loss, the finding that metal chelators can partially solubilize amyloid-beta deposits in Alzheimer disease suggests a promising therapeutic role for chelating agents. However, the blood-brain barrier and toxicity of known chelators limit their utility. In this study, we suggest that covalent conjugation of iron chelators with nanoparticles may help overcome the limitations in blood-brain barrier permeability of existing chelation therapy. Using in vitro studies, we have shown that a chelator-nanoparticle system and the chelator-nanoparticle system complexed with iron, when incubated with human plasma, preferentially adsorb apolipoprotein E and apolipoprotein A-I, that would facilitate transport into and out of the brain via mechanisms used for transporting low-density lipoprotein. Our studies suggest a unique approach, utilizing nanoparticles, to transport chelators and chelator-metal complexes in both directions across the blood-brain barrier, thus providing safer and more effective chelation treatment in Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Aged, 80 and over↗
PubMed2006

Neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease: awaking from a hundred-year-old dream.

For one hundred years after Alois Alzheimer's first report of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in 1906, the pathological hallmarks of the disease, senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), have been attractive targets for researchers. Therefore, not surprisingly, efforts to understand disease mechanisms have concentrated on the cell biology of amyloid-beta (Abeta) deposition as senile plaques or on the phosphorylation and aggregation of tau as NFTs. However, it now appears that this focus on pathology as a central contributor to disease may be misguided. Indeed, neurons associated with Abeta and NFTs in AD brain show a decrease in oxidative damage relative to those in vulnerable but morphologically intact areas of the brain, suggesting that neurodegenerative lesions are compensatory phenomena, and thus manifestations of cellular adaptation. That Abeta and tau accumulations indicate an age-related physiological reaction to chronic stress calls into question the rationale of current therapeutic efforts targeted toward lesion removal. Moreover, if this concept holds true for pathology in other neurodegenerative diseases, we may need to restructure our thinking and undergo a paradigm shift before substantial progress can be made in therapeutic intervention.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2006

Neuropathology of Alzheimer disease: pathognomonic but not pathogenic.

Neuropathological changes in subjects with dementia are, by definition, end-stage phenomena. While such changes allow case characterization and lend themselves to disease classification and modeling, the lesions themselves are not etiological. This truth would appear to be self-evident, yet the medical and scientific literature suggests otherwise. Indeed it is now customary to view amyloid plaques in Alzheimer disease as primary etiological, neurotoxic lesions and, hence, removing them (e.g., by immunotherapy) is believed to lead to clinical improvement. The foundation for this line of thinking lies in the existence of rare kindreds with mutations in amyloid-beta, or mutations believed to be involved in the processing of amyloid-beta, and then the extrapolation of the inherited condition to sporadic disease. We believe that this overall construct ignores early events that are more critical to onset and progression of sporadic disease. Likewise, we have studied subjects with sporadic Alzheimer disease, as well as early onset familial Alzheimer disease and Down's syndrome, over a spectrum of ages, and have found that markers of oxidative stress precede amyloid deposits in all three conditions. Amyloid and neurofibrillary pathology in the Alzheimer brain show a decrease in oxidative stress relative to vulnerable but morphologically intact neurons, suggesting that neurodegenerative lesions are compensatory phenomena, and thus manifestations of cellular adaptation. The pathology of neurodegenerative diseases should be viewed as the end-stage consequence, as opposed to cause, of the disease processes, so that early disease processes that are amenable to intervention can be properly recognized and treated.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2006

Alpha-synuclein facilitates the toxicity of oxidized catechol metabolites: implications for selective neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease.

Free radicals, including dopamine (DA)-oxidized metabolites, have long been implicated in pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the relationships between such oxidative stresses and alpha-synuclein (alpha-S), a major constituent of Lewy bodies, remain unknown. In this study, we established neuronal cells that constitutively express alpha-S and tetracycline-regulated tyrosinase. While tyrosinase overexpression induced apoptosis, co-expression of wild type or A53T mutant human alpha-S with tyrosinase further exacerbated cell death. In this process, the formation of alpha-S oligomers and the reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential were demonstrated. This cellular model may reconstitute the pathological metabolism of alpha-S in the synucleinopathy and provide a useful tool to explore possible pathomechanisms of nigral degeneration in PD.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2006

The (un)balance between metabolic and oxidative abnormalities and cellular compensatory responses in Alzheimer disease.

Compelling evidence supports the importance of metabolic abnormalities in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. Indeed, that oxidative mechanisms are involved in the neuropathology associated with Alzheimer disease is evidenced by the large number of metabolic signs of oxidative stress as well as by specific markers of oxidative damage. However, in the initial stages of disease development, neurons adapt to the oxidative environment through the development of compensatory responses resulting in a shift of neuronal priority from normal function to basic survival.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Luteinizing hormone modulates cognition and amyloid-beta deposition in Alzheimer APP transgenic mice.

Until recently, the study of hormonal influences in Alzheimer disease was limited to the role of sex steroids. Despite numerous epidemiological studies supporting a protective role for estrogen in Alzheimer disease, recent studies show that estrogen administration in elderly women increases the risk of disease. Reconciling these contradictory reports, we previously hypothesized that other hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, such as luteinizing hormone, may be involved in the onset and development of the disease. In this regard, luteinizing hormone is elevated in Alzheimer disease and is known to modulate amyloidogenic processing of amyloid-beta protein precursor. Therefore, in this study, to evaluate the therapeutic potential of luteinizing hormone ablation, we administered a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue, leuprolide acetate, to an aged transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer disease (Tg 2576) and measured cognitive Y-maze performance and amyloid-beta deposition after 3 months of treatment. Our data indicate that luteinizing hormone ablation significantly attenuated cognitive decline and decreased amyloid-beta deposition as compared to placebo-treated animals. Importantly, leuprolide acetate-mediated reduction of amyloid-beta correlated with improved cognition. Since both cognitive loss and amyloid-beta deposition are features of Alzheimer disease, leuprolide acetate treatment may prove to be a useful therapeutic strategy for this disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2006

Clusterin up-regulation following sub-lethal oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in human neuroblastoma cells.

Clusterin/apolipoprotein J is a multifunctional protein up-regulated during various pathophysiological states. Since oxidative stress plays an important role in brain aging, and in many neurodegenerative disorders, to further understand the mechanistic underpinnings of clusterin expression, in this study, we examined clusterin expression in human neuroblastoma cells under conditions of increased production of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. Specifically, we analyzed clusterin mRNA and protein levels in human neuroblastoma IMR-32 and SH-SY5Y cells following exposure to sub-lethal amounts of iron-ascorbate to induce an increase in reactive oxygen species generation and lipid peroxidation. Under such conditions, we observed a time-dependent up-regulation of clusterin protein and mRNA levels, detected by immunoblot analysis and RT-PCR, respectively. Given the known roles of clusterin, the results of the present study support the notion that an increase in clusterin expression may be a physiological defence mounted to reduce cell damage and maintain cell viability during periods of increased oxidative stress.

Alzheimer Disease↗