First Author | Bellingham SA | Year | 2004 |
Journal | J Neurochem | Volume | 91 |
Issue | 2 | Pages | 423-8 |
PubMed ID | 15447675 | Mgi Jnum | J:93279 |
Mgi Id | MGI:3056718 | Doi | 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2004.02731.x |
Citation | Bellingham SA, et al. (2004) Gene knockout of amyloid precursor protein and amyloid precursor-like protein-2 increases cellular copper levels in primary mouse cortical neurons and embryonic fibroblasts. J Neurochem 91(2):423-8 |
abstractText | Alzheimer's disease is characterised by the accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide, which is cleaved from the copper-binding amyloid-beta precursor protein. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have illustrated the importance of copper in Alzheimer's disease neuropathogenesis and suggested a role for amyloid-beta precursor protein and amyloid-beta in copper homeostasis. Amyloid-beta precursor protein is a member of a multigene family, including amyloid precursor-like proteins-1 and -2. The copper-binding domain is similar among amyloid-beta precursor protein family members, suggesting an overall conservation in its function or activity. Here, we demonstrate that double knockout of amyloid-beta precursor protein and amyloid precursor-like protein-2 expression results in significant increases in copper accumulation in mouse primary cortical neurons and embryonic fibroblasts. In contrast, over-expression of amyloid-beta precursor protein in transgenic mice results in significantly reduced copper levels in primary cortical neurons. These findings provide cellular neuronal evidence for the role of amyloid-beta precursor protein in copper homeostasis and support the existing hypothesis that amyloid-beta precursor protein and amyloid precursor-like protein-2 are copper-binding proteins with functionally interchangeable roles in copper homeostasis. |