Cerebrovascular amyloid beta-protein (ABeta) deposition is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders including hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis Dutch-type (HCHWA-D). Cerebrovascular ABeta deposition in these disorders is prominently associated with smooth muscle cellular pathology in the cerebral vessel wall and can lead to a loss of vessel integrity and hemorrhagic stroke. The reasons for this remain unclear. The overall hypothesis that forms the basis of this competing continuation grant proposal is that ABeta deposition in the cerebral vessel wall can modulate the function of hemostatic enzymes thus creating a microenvironment that is conducive to hemorrhagic stroke. The objectives of this proposal are to characterize the effects of ABeta on the regulation of certain hemostatic enzymes at the biochemical and cellular levels.
The specific aims of this proposal are as follows: First, the effect of soluble ABeta, solution-assembled fibrillar ABeta, and cell-surface-assembled, fibrillar ABeta on the inhibition of factor XIa (FXIa) and certain other coagulation enzymes by PN-2/AbetaPP will be characterized. The inactivation rates of FXIa and other coagulation enzymes by PN-2/AbetaPP in the presence of soluble and the different fibrillar ABeta peptides will be determined. The proteolysis of ABeta peptides by coagulation enzymes will be investigated. Second, studies will be conducted to determine the effect of soluble ABeta, solution-assembled fibrillar Abeta, and cell-surface-assembled fibrillar ABeta on the stimulation of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) activity. The effect of ABeta peptides on cellular tPA levels and plasminogen activation activity will be explored. In addition, proteolysis of ABeta peptides by tPA and plasmin will be investigated. Third, investigations will compare the pathologic effects of intact ABeta and hemostatic enzyme proteolyzed ABeta on cultured human cerebrovascular smooth muscle (HCSM) cells, a cell type intimately associated with the cerebrovascular pathology of AD and HCHWA-D. The proposed studies will provide a better biochemical understanding of the influence that ABeta has on the inhibition of certain coagulation proteases and the stimulation of plasminogen activation, two processes that together can create a milieu which could result in loss of vessel integrity and hemorrhagic stroke.
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