Editorial Cystatin C: a potential target for Alzheimer’s treatment Expert Rev. Neurotherapeutics 8(5), 687–689 (2008) Efrat Levy “…cystatin C binds soluble Aβ and inhibits Aβ oligomerization Departments of and amyloidogenesis, protecting the brain against Psychiatry & Pharmacology, amyloid-induced toxicity.” New York University School of Medicine, Alzheimer's disease is one of the most in familial Alzheimer’s disease in the Nathan S. Kline prevalent chronic diseases of the aging brains of mice results in amyloid plaque Institute, 140 Old population. Neuropathologically, the deposition. Some proteins associated Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, disease is characterized by neurodegener- with amyloid lesions may have a role in NY 10962, USA ation and the presence of two patho- the pathological processes leading to Tel.: +1 845 398 5540 logical features, amyloid plaques and amyloidogenesis and neuronal degenera- Fax: +1 845 398 5422 neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid-β (Aβ) tion, and others may bind secondarily to
[email protected] is the major constituent of the amyloid amyloid deposits. It was demonstrated plaques. It is a ubiquitously expressed that cystatin C binds to the Aβ region soluble peptide that can form aggregates, within full-length amyloid precursor pro- either oligomeric or fibrillar, that are tein and that this association does not neurotoxic. Extensive research focuses on affect Aβ generation either in vitro [10] or prevention of Aβ aggregation as a possi- in vivo [11]. The association of cystatin C ble therapy for the disease. Recent stud- with the amyloid precursor protein was ies have shown that the endogenous pro- recently confirmed by in vivo mapping of tein cystatin C binds soluble Aβ and protein interactions in intact mouse inhibits Aβ oligomerization and amyloido- tissue [12].