Neuron
Volume 13, Issue 1, July 1994, Pages 45-53
Journal home page for Neuron

Article
Visualization of Aβ42(43) and Aβ40 in senile plaques with end-specific Aβ monoclonals: Evidence that an initially deposited species is Aβ42(43)

https://doi.org/10.1016/0896-6273(94)90458-8Get rights and content

Abstract

To learn about the carboxy-terminal extent of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) composition of senile plaques (SPs) in the brain affected with Alzheimer's disease (AD), we employed two end-specific monoclonal antibodies as immunocytochemical probes: one is specific for Aβ40, the carboxyl terminus of Aβ1–40, while the other is specific for Aβ42(43). In the AD cortex, all SPs that were labeled with an authentic antibody were Aβ42(43) positive, while only one-third of which, on the average, were Aβ40 positive. There was a strong correlation between Aβ40 positivity and mature plaques. Two familial AD cortices with the mutation of β-amyloid protein precursor 717 (βAPP717) (Val to lie) showed a remarkable predominance of Aβ42(43)-positive, Aβ40-negative plaques. Diffuse plaques, representing the earliest stage of Aβ deposition, were exclusively positive for Aβ42(43) but completely negative for Aβ40.

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