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Detection of Neuritic Plaques in Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model
Published on: July 26, 2011
Activated c-Jun is present in neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease brains
A G Pearson1, U T E Byrne, G A MacGibbon
1Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
Abstract:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is characterized by the presence of insoluble beta-amyoid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles containing hyperphosphorylated tau. Increased expression of the immediate early gene product c-Jun has also been reported in post-mortem AD brains, and the presence of upstream regulators of c-Jun has been described in tangle formations. Here, we report the presence of c-Jun specifically phosphorylated on ser-63, but not ser-73, in tangle-bearing neurons and in 'late-stage' extracellular tangles in AD brains. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of c-Jun phosphorylated on ser-63 but not on ser-73 in AD brain tissue. The expression of differentially phosphorylated c-Jun in the AD brain may reflect the contradictory roles of these phosphorylation sites in neurons. Furthermore, the inappropriate sequestration of phosphorylated c-Jun in tangles in AD brains may contribute to AD pathology and neurodegeneration.
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