Studying the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease in a Drosophila melanogaster model: Human APP overexpression in the brain of transgenic flies leads to deficit of the synaptic protein synaptotagmin
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease whose main pathomorphological sign is synapse degeneration in the cortex and hippocampus. Abnormal synaptogenesis precedes amyloidosis and neurodegeneration and correlates with memory impairment during the early clinical phase. Mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene cause familial AD and enhance the secretion of amyloid-β protein (Aβ). However, it remains unclear in what way APP and Aβ- are involved in synaptic disorder in the absence of visible amyloid structures. In this study, the role of the human APP gene in synaptogenesis in transgenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster whose nerve cells express the human APP695 isoform, truncated APPs, and the presynaptic marker synaptotagmin containing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) sequence. The expression of APP and its truncated forms caused a decrease in the synaptotagmin content of antennal lobes (ALs) and mushroom bodies (MBs) of the D. melanogaster brain, as well as neurodegeneration that progressed with age. The results suggest that abnormal synaptogenesis and neurodegeneration occur in the Drosophila brain in the absence of β-. It is assumed that impaired cellular functions of APP and secretion of β- independently contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. © 2009 MAIK Nauka.
Duke Scholars
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Genetics & Heredity
- 3105 Genetics
- 0604 Genetics
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Genetics & Heredity
- 3105 Genetics
- 0604 Genetics