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Isolation of Amyloid Plaques and Neurofibrillary Tangles from Archived Alzheimer’s Disease Tissue Using Laser-Capture Microdissection for Downstream Proteomics

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Laser Capture Microdissection

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1723))

Abstract

Here, we describe a new method that allows localized proteomics of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are the two pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Amyloid plaques and NFTs are visualized using immunohistochemistry and microdissected from archived, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human tissue samples using laser-capture microdissection. The majority of human tissue specimens are FFPE; hence the use of this type of tissue is a particular advantage of this technique. Microdissected tissue samples are solubilized with formic acid and deparaffinized, reduced, alkylated, proteolytically digested, and desalted. The resulting protein content of plaques and NFTs is determined using label-free quantitative LC-MS. This results in the unbiased and simultaneous quantification of ~900 proteins in plaques and ~500 proteins in NFTs. This approach permits downstream pathway and network analysis, hence providing a comprehensive overview of pathological protein accumulation found in neuropathological features in AD.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the following NIH grants: AG08051, AG20245, and NS073502. Additional support was provided by the Seix Dow Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neurology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Eleanor Drummond, Geoffrey Pires & Thomas Wisniewski

  2. Proteomics Laboratory, Division of Advanced Research and Technology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Shruti Nayak

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Beatrix Ueberheide

  4. Departments of Neurology, Pathology and Psychiatry, Center for Cognitive Neurology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Thomas Wisniewski

Authors
  1. Eleanor Drummond
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  2. Shruti Nayak
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  3. Geoffrey Pires
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  4. Beatrix Ueberheide
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  5. Thomas Wisniewski
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Eleanor Drummond or Thomas Wisniewski .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

    Graeme I. Murray

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Drummond, E., Nayak, S., Pires, G., Ueberheide, B., Wisniewski, T. (2018). Isolation of Amyloid Plaques and Neurofibrillary Tangles from Archived Alzheimer’s Disease Tissue Using Laser-Capture Microdissection for Downstream Proteomics. In: Murray, G. (eds) Laser Capture Microdissection. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1723. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7558-7_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7558-7_18

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7557-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7558-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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