Abstract |
Familial amyloidosis, British type, is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by progressive dementia, spastic paralysis and ataxia. The identity of the accumulating amyloid is not known, thus preventing the definitive classification of the disease. Biochemical methods were used to characterize the nature of the amyloid deposits from the brain tissue of one individual who died with this disease. The purified tissue material was subjected to trypsin digestion and subsequent N-terminal sequence analysis. Major tryptic fragments yielded the sequences VGINYQPPTVVPGGDLAK, FDLMYAK, GLTVPEL and GYLTVAAVFR, which are all tryptic fragments of the C-termini of human tubulin subunits alpha and beta. Synthetic peptides based on the sequences of these fragments formed amyloid fibrils in vitro fitting the characteristic definition of amyloid. These findings suggest that the C-terminal fragments of both alpha- and beta-tubulin are closely associated to the amyloid deposits of familial amyloidosis, British type.
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Authors | M H Baumann, T Wisniewski, E Levy, G T Plant, J Ghiso |
Journal | Biochemical and biophysical research communications
(Biochem Biophys Res Commun)
Vol. 219
Issue 1
Pg. 238-42
(Feb 06 1996)
ISSN: 0006-291X [Print] United States |
PMID | 8619814
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)
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Chemical References |
- Amyloid
- Macromolecular Substances
- Peptide Fragments
- Tubulin
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Topics |
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Amyloid
(chemistry, ultrastructure)
- Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy
(genetics, metabolism, pathology)
- Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
- Humans
- Kinetics
- Macromolecular Substances
- Microscopy, Electron
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Peptide Fragments
(chemistry, isolation & purification, metabolism)
- Tubulin
(chemistry, metabolism, ultrastructure)
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