Rapid appearance of beta-amyloid precursor protein immunoreactivity in glial cells following excitotoxic brain injury

Clinical and experimental data have indicated an up-regulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) after various types of CNS injury. In the present study the cellular source of lesion-induced APP has been investigated in a neurotoxic CNS model. Quinolinic acid injection into the striatum results in neuronal degeneration, while glial cells survive. APP immunoreactivity was detected in glial cells starting at postoperative day 3 and persisted until day 21, the last time point studied. Double immunocytochemistry identified the majority of APP-immunoreactive cells as glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunoreactive astrocytes. There was no evidence of amyloid fibril deposition during this time. It is concluded that following excitotoxic neuronal degneration APP is mainly produced by reactive astrocytes in the lesioned area.