Age-related fibrillar material in mouse brain. Assessing its potential as a biomarker of aging and as a model of human neurodegenerative disease

Abstract

We have described the age-related deposition of fibrillar material in brains of B6 mice and SAM. Since in other inbred strains similar deposits were absent or occurred only occasionally and only in aged individuals, a genetic predisposition of B6 mice and SAM to accumulate the fibrillar material is suggested. The deposits are mostly associated with astrocytic processes and have been referred to as astrocytic inclusions. HSPG- and laminin-like molecules have been identified as components of the fibrillar material. The deposits have similarities with CA in humans, but they also show some important differences; thus there is presently insufficient evidence to consider the deposits the murine equivalent of CA. Although the physiological significance of the fibrillar material is not yet clear, the awareness of the deposits appears pertinent because they might contribute to various aspects of CNS function of susceptible strains of mice, and therefore could lead to possible misinterpretations of the results of studies employing these strains. Future directions of our research will determine the potential of the murine deposits to model aspects of human neuropathology, in particular, whether the deposits may mimic the deposition of ECM molecules as an early-event in the pathogenesis of amyloid plaque formation.