Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized clinically by progressive deterioration of memory,and pathologically by histopathological changes including extracellular deposits of amyloid-beta(A-beta)peptides forming senile plaques(SP)and the intracellular neurofibrillary tangles(NFT)of hyperphosphorylated tau in the brain.This review focused on the new developments of amyloid cascade hypothesis with details on the production,metabolism and clearance of A-beta,and the key roles of some important A-beta-related genes in the pathological processes of AD.The most recent research advances in genetics,neuropathology and pathogenesis of the disease were also discussed.
In addition to senile plaques and cerebral amyloid angiopathy,the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and formation of intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles(NFTs)represents another neuropathological hallmark in AD brain.Tau is a microtubule-associated protein and localizes predominantly in the axons of neurons with the primary function in maintaining microtubules stability.When the balance between tau phosphorylation and dephosphorylation is changed in favor of the former,tau is hyperphosphorylated and the level of the free tau fractions elevated.The hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and formation of NFTs represent a characteristic neuropathological feature in AD brain.We have discussed the role of Aβin AD in our previous review,this review focused on the recent advances in tau-mediated AD pathology,mainly including tau hyperphosphorylation,propagation of tau pathology and the relationship between tau and Aβ.
Butyrate has been recently identified as a natural ligand of the G-protein-coupled receptor 41 （GPR41）. In addition, it is an inhibitor of histone deacetylase （HDAC）. Butyrate treatment results in the hyperacetylation of histones, with resultant multiple biological effects including inhibition of proliferation, induction of cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis, in a variety of cultured mammalian cells. However, it is not clear whether GPR41 is actively involved in the above-mentioned processes. In this study, we generated a stable cell line expressing the hGPR41 receptor in order to investigate the involvement of GPR41 on butyrate-induced biochemical and physiologic processes. We found that GPR41 activation may be a compensatory mechanism to counter the increase in histone H3 acetylation levels induced by butyrate treatment. Moreover, GPR41 had an inhibitory effect on the anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic effects of butyrate. GPR41 expression induced cell cycle arrest at the Gl-stage, while its activation by butyrate can cause more cells to pass the G1 checkpoint. These results indicated that GPR41 was associated with histone acetylation and might be involved in the acetylation-related regulation of cell processes including proliferation, apoptosis, and the cell cycle.
