engleski

Cell-adhesion molecules are markers of plasticity in hippocampal tissue affected by Alzheimer's neurodegeneration

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by up-regulated expression of plasticity molecules, particularly in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, reflecting activation of compensatory mechanisms and reorganization of remaining cellular structures. In this study, the expression of neuroplastin was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in human hippocampal tissue affected by Alzheimer's neurodegeneration. Neuroplastin immunoreactivity distribution was compared with expression of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), in AD and control hippocampal tissue. Both neuroplastin and PSA-NCAM are cell surface glycoproteins, highly abundant in mammalian brain tissue, and are involved in developmental processes such as neuronal migration, neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis. A role of PSA-NCAM in central nervous system plasticity was previously described. Our results on distribution of neuroplastin immunoreactivity confirmed its extracellular localization in both control and AD hippocampal sections. The overall intensity of neuroplastin immunoreactivity was higher in AD than in control hippocampi, and was most notably expressed in neuronal population of dentate gyrus inner molecular layer. PSA-NCAM immunoreactivity in AD hippocampal tissue was similarly distributed with most notable differences in dentate gyrus, as compared with healthy tissue. We suggest that in addition to PSA-NCAM, neuroplastin may serve as plasticity marker, as its expression is increased in AD neurodegeneration due to described reorganization, neuronal remodelling and plasticity reactivation.

cell-adhesion molecules; synaptic plasticity; alzheimer's neurodegeneration

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