Chemical pathology of neurofibrils. Neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's presenile senile dementia

Abstract

A subcellular fraction enriched in twisted tubules was obtained by differential centrifugation of a homogenate of neurons isolated from areas of the brain with many neurofibrillary tangles from patients with Alzheimer's presenile senile dementia. A unique protein (molecular weight 50,000 daltons) which does not co migrate with either of the two tubulin monomers or the major neurofilament protein, both purified from human brain, was found in this subcellular fraction on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Similarly processed tissue from areas of the brain poor in neurofibrillary tangles contained low levels of this new protein. The new protein band could not be seen in control patients.