Neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in cdk5/p25-inducible mice: a model for hippocampal sclerosis and neocortical degeneration.

The cyclin-dependent kinase cdk5 is atypically active in postmitotic neurons and enigmatic among the kinases proposed as molecular actors in neurodegeneration. We generated transgenic mice to express p25, the N-terminally truncated p35 activator of cdk5, in forebrain under tetracycline control (TET-off). Neuronal expression of p25 (p25(ON)) caused high mortality postnatally and early in life.

Tau-4R suppresses proliferation and promotes neuronal differentiation in the hippocampus of tau knockin/knockout mice.

Differential isoform expression and phosphorylation of protein tau are believed to regulate the assembly and stabilization of microtubuli in fetal and adult neurons. To define the functions of tau in the developing and adult brain, we generated transgenic mice expressing the human tau-4R/2N (htau-4R) isoform on a murine tau null background, by a knockout/knockin approach (tau-KOKI). The main findings in these mice were the significant increases in hippocampal volume and neuronal number, which were sustained throughout adult life and paralleled by improved cognitive functioning.

Beta-secretase-cleaved amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer brain: a morphologic study.

beta-amyloid (Abeta) is the main constituent of senile plaques seen in Alzheimer's disease. Abeta is derived from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) via proteolytic cleavage by proteases beta- and gamma-secretase. In this study, we examined content and localization of beta-secretase-cleaved APP (beta-sAPP) in brain tissue sections from the frontal, temporal and occipital lobe.

The Arctic Alzheimer mutation enhances sensitivity to toxic stress in human neuroblastoma cells.

The E693G (Arctic) mutation of the amyloid precursor protein was recently found to lead to early-onset Alzheimer's disease in a Swedish family. In the present study, we report that the Arctic mutation decreases cell viability in human neuroblastoma cells. The cell viability, as measured by the MTT assay and propidium iodide staining, was further compromised following exposure to calcium ionophore A23187, microtubule-binding colchicine or oxidative stress inducer hydrogen peroxide.