Apolipoprotein A1,the neglected relative of Apolipoprotein E and its potential role in Alzheimer’s disease

Lipoproteins are multi-molecule assemblies with the primary function of transportation and processing of lipophilic substances within aqueous bodily fluids(blood,cerebrospinal fluid).Nevertheless,they also exert other physiological functions such as immune regulation.In particular,neurons are both sensitive to uncontrolled responses of the immune system and highly dependent on a controlled and sufficient supply of lipids.For this reason,the role of certain lipoproteins and their protein-component(apolipoproteins,Apo’s)in neurological diseases is perceivable.ApoE,for example,is well-accepted as one of the major risk factors for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease with a protective allele variant(ε2)and a risk-causing allele variant(ε4).ApoA1,the major protein component of high-density lipoproteins,is responsible for transportation of excess cholesterol from peripheral tissues to the liver.The protein is synthesized in the liver and intestine but also can enter the brain via the choroid plexus and thereby might have an impact on brain lipid homeostasis.This review focuses on the role of ApoA1 in Alzheimer’s disease and discusses whether its role within this neurodegenerative disorder is specific or represents a general neuroprotective mechanism.

A crate of Pandora:do amyloids from bacteria promote Alzheimer’s disease?

Incidence for microbes as drivers of Alzheimer’s disease(AD)pathology:AD is the predominant neurodegenerative disease within the elderly.Over 50 million patients suffer from dementia currently world-wide and an estimated tripling of numbers within the next 30 years is expected.Only one to maximally five percent of all cases of AD are based on mutations in the amyloid precursor protein(APP)gene or within the presenilin genes(PS1/PS2)and therefore are called familial(FAD).The majority of cases has to be designated as sporadic,which frankly only means that the origin of these cases is still enigmatic.