Beta amyloid toxicity does not require RAGE protein

It has been suggested that a receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is the nerve cell receptor for amyloid beta protein (A beta). To determine if this is indeed the case, two neural cell lines as well as rat cortical neurons were examined for the presence of the mRNA for RAGE by PCR and northern blot analysis. Although lung was strongly positive, in no case was RAGE mRNA detected in the cultured neural cells. Glycated-albumin is a major ligand for RAGE and the cell surface RAGE protein is trypsin sensitive. In agreement with the mRNA data, trypsin treatment did not alter A beta toxicity, nor did glycated albumin modify the A beta response. It follows that RAGE is not the neural receptor for A beta.