ATP-binding cassette protein ABCA7 deficiency impairs sphingomyelin synthesis, cognitive discrimination, and synaptic plasticity in the entorhinal cortex.

Sphingomyelin (SM) is an abundant plasma membrane and plasma lipoprotein sphingolipid. We previously reported that ATP-binding cassette family A protein 1 (ABCA1) deficiency in humans and mice decreases plasma SM levels. However, overexpression, induction, downregulation, inhibition, and knockdown of ABCA1 in human hepatoma Huh7 cells did not decrease SM efflux.

Amyloid pathology-produced unexpected modifications of calcium homeostasis in hippocampal subicular dendrites.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is linked to neuronal calcium dyshomeostasis, which is associated with network hyperexcitability. Decreased expression of the calcium-binding protein cal- bindin-D (CB) might be a susceptibility factor for AD. The subiculum is affected early in AD, for unknown reasons.