TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of aluminum and other multivalent cations on neurofilaments in vitro
T2 - An electron microscopic study
AU - Troncoso, J. C.
AU - March, J. L.
AU - Häner, M.
AU - Aebi, U.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Michel Triiris (Biocenter, University of Base11 who prepared the glycerol-spray&rotary metal-shadowed native NFs (Fig. 2b) in the course of his diploma work. We are grateful to Dr. Donald L. Price for his support and constructive discussions throughout this project and thank Hope Salvo and E. Chris Glavaris for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from the U.S. Public Health Service (NIH NS 10580, AG 03359, AG 05146, GM 31940, NS 253691, the Swiss National Science Foundation (No. 3.085-0.8’71, and the Robert L. and Clara G. Patterson Trust, as well as a gift from the Claster Family. Dr. Troncoso is the recipient of a Teacher-Investigator Development Award (NIH NS 00799). Dr. Aebi is the recipient of a research award from the M. E. Miiller Foundation of Switzer- land. M. Hiiner was supported the Kanton Basel-Stadt.
PY - 1990/3
Y1 - 1990/3
N2 - Using electron microscopy (EM) of negatively stained samples, we have systematically explored the effect of aluminum and other multivalent cations on neurofilaments (NFs) in vitro. Interactions of these cations were investigated with bovine, rabbit, and rat spinal cord native NFs, and with 10-nm filaments reconstituted from the 68-kDa subunit (NF-L) isolated from bovine spinal cord. Our results indicated that, as has been observed with other classes of intermediate filaments (IFs), all multivalent cations caused significant aggregation of native NFs, suggesting that this phenomenon is a rather general one and not limited to aluminum. In addition, all cations tried caused significant lateral aggregation of filaments reconstituted from NF-L. Aluminum lactate had an identical effect on bovine, rabbit, and rat NFs. Because aluminum causes strong aggregation of NFs in vitro, a similar phenomenon may occur in vivo leading to the observed accumulation of NFs in neuronal perikarya of rabbits after intoxication with aluminum. These in vitro observations support the concept that some human neurological diseases characterized by the accumulation of NFs may be related to abnormal levels of multivalent cations.
AB - Using electron microscopy (EM) of negatively stained samples, we have systematically explored the effect of aluminum and other multivalent cations on neurofilaments (NFs) in vitro. Interactions of these cations were investigated with bovine, rabbit, and rat spinal cord native NFs, and with 10-nm filaments reconstituted from the 68-kDa subunit (NF-L) isolated from bovine spinal cord. Our results indicated that, as has been observed with other classes of intermediate filaments (IFs), all multivalent cations caused significant aggregation of native NFs, suggesting that this phenomenon is a rather general one and not limited to aluminum. In addition, all cations tried caused significant lateral aggregation of filaments reconstituted from NF-L. Aluminum lactate had an identical effect on bovine, rabbit, and rat NFs. Because aluminum causes strong aggregation of NFs in vitro, a similar phenomenon may occur in vivo leading to the observed accumulation of NFs in neuronal perikarya of rabbits after intoxication with aluminum. These in vitro observations support the concept that some human neurological diseases characterized by the accumulation of NFs may be related to abnormal levels of multivalent cations.
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U2 - 10.1016/1047-8477(90)90080-V
DO - 10.1016/1047-8477(90)90080-V
M3 - Article
C2 - 2397143
AN - SCOPUS:0025375396
SN - 1047-8477
VL - 103
SP - 2
EP - 12
JO - Journal of Structural Biology
JF - Journal of Structural Biology
IS - 1
ER -