Chonnam Med J.
2001 Sep;37(3):285-292.
Gangliosides Expression in Normal and Alzheimer Brains
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Pathology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Chonnam National University Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Kwangju, Korea.
- 2Department of Pediatrics, Chonnam National University Medical School and Chonnam National University Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Kwangju, Korea.
- 3Department of Neurology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- 4Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- 5Department of Tumor Immunology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
- Gangliosides are one of the major molecules in the central nervous system, however; localization of gangliosides has been hampered due to lack of sensitive and specific antibodies. We developed gangliosides antibodies, GM3, GM2, GM1, GD1a and GT1a, and investigated cellular localization of the gangliosides histochemically in brain sections obtained from human adults died of Alzheimer's disease and non-neurological disorders as normal control. In control brains, strong GM3 ganglioside immunoreactivity was demonstrated in oligodendrocytes throughout all brain regions, while strong GM2 immunoreactivity was found in cerebellar Bergmann's glia and a small number or stellate astrocytes in the gray matter of parahippocampal gyrus and CA1 of hippocampus. Immunoreactivity of GM1, GD1a and GT1a was not detected in any of the brain regions examined. None of the gangliosides was expressed in neurons or neurites in control brains. In Alzheimer brains, GM2 immunoreactivity was found in neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), neuritic plaques (NP) as well as in abnormal-appearing neurons and neurites in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. GM3 and GD1a immunoreactivities were demonstrated in NFT and NP, while GM1 and GT1a were detected only in NFT. The present study highlights the appearence of a-series gangliosides in NFT and NP in Alzheimer brain. GM2 ganglioside is the most sensitive marker to detect a subtle change of neurons as well as full-blown NFT or NP in Alzheimer brain.
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