Augmented Expression of Glia Maturation Factor in Alzheimer's Disease

We have previously demonstrated that glia maturation factor (GMF), a brain-specific protein isolated, sequenced and cloned in our laboratory, is a prominent mediator of inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) leading to the death of neurons. In the present study we demonstrate, for the first time, a significant up regulation of the GMF protein in various regions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains compared to age matched non-demented (ND) control brains. We analyzed AD and ND brain samples by quantitative ELISA using a combination of highly specific monoclonal and polyclonal anti-GMF antibodies developed and characterized in our laboratory. For the comparison between ND controls and AD cases, we examined brain tissue from 12 AD cases (ages ranging from 78–92 years) and 8 age-matched ND controls (ages ranging from 76–88 years). We observed a significant increase in GMF concentration in entorhinal cortex, parietal cortex, frontal cortex, occipital cortex, perirhinal cortex, and temporal cortex of AD patients. Our results clearly demonstrate that the GMF protein levels are significantly higher in all AD affected brain regions than in ND controls. The immunohistochemistry analysis revealed co-localization of GMF with amyloid plaques (AP) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in AD brains. Our results imply that under conditions of neuro degeneration the expression of GMF is significantly upregulated