Path: Amyloidosis Flashcards
What is amyloidosis?
a condition associated with a number of inherited immune and inflammatory disorders in which extracellular deposits of fibrillar proteins are responsible for tissue damage and functional comprosmise
What makes the abnormal fibrils seen in amyloidosis?
aggregations of misfolded proteins; in their normal configuration they would be soluble
The fibrillar deposits in amyloidosis bind a wide variety of what EC substance?
proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans, as well as plasma proteins
What is serum amyloid P component (SAP)?
a plasma protein that fibrillar deposits bind in amyloidosis
The presence of abundant charged ____ groups in the amyloid deposits give staining characteristics thought to resemble ____.
sugar; starch
With progressive accumulation, amyloid encroaches on and produces ____ ____ of adjacent cells.
pressure atrophy
True or False: amyloid is a single protein.
False - there are more than 20 different proteins that can aggregate and deposit to form fibrils with the appearance of amyloid
Is amyloidosis considered one or many diseases?
It’s considered a group of diseases having in common the deposition of similar-appearing proteins
By EM, all types of amyloid consist of continuous, nonbranching fibrils with a diameter of approximately ____ to ____nm.
7.5-10nm
What conformation does amyloid have, seen on Xray crystallography and IR spectroscopy?
cross-beta-pleated sheet conformation
Approximately 95% of amyloid material consists of ____ ____, with the remaining 5% being ____ and other ____.
fibril proteins; P component and other glycoproteins
What are the 3 most common forms of amyloid?
- AL (amyloid light chain)
- AA (amyloid-associated)
- Abeta (beta-amyloid protein)
What are AL proteins made of?
complete immunoglobulin light chains, the amino-terminal fragments of light chains, or both
Is the production of AL type amyloid fibril protein from free Ig light chains secreted by a monoclonal or polyclonal population of cells? Which cell type secretes it?
monoclonal, plasma cells
The AA type of amyloid fibril is derived from what type of protein?
unique non-Ig protein made by the liver: MW of 8500 and 76 aa residues; derived by proteolysis from SAA
What is SAA?
serum amyloid-associated (SAA) protein is a larger precursor in the serum that is synthesized by the liver and circulates bound to HDLs; it is cleaved and forms AA fibrils
When is SAA production increased?
in inflammatory states as part of the acute phase response; therefore it’s associated with chronic inflammation and often called secondary amyloidosis
What type of amyloid protein makes the core of the cerebral plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease?
beta-amyloid protein
Beta amyloid protein is derived by proteolysis from what larger protein?
a transmembrane glycoprotein called amyloid precursor protein
What is transthyretin (TTR)?
normal serum protein that binds and transports thyroxine and retinol
What protein is the important deposit is familial amyloid polyneuropathies?
TTR (and its fragments)
What protein is responsible for complication of the course of patients on long-term hemodialysis?
beta-microglobulin, a component of MHC class I molecules and normal serum protein
In a minority of ____ disease in the CNS, misfolded ____ proteins can aggregate in the EC space and acquire to structural and staining characteristics of amyloid protein.
prion; prion
How might serum amyloid P protein contribute to amyloid deposition?
it might stabilize the fibrils and decrease their clearance
What should normally happen to misfolded proteins?
they should be degraded intracellularly in proteosomes, or extracellularly in macrophages
Misfolded proteins generally fall into 2 categories. What are they?
- normal proteins that have a tendency to fold improperly, and do so when produced in increased amounts
- mutant proteins that are prone to misfolding and subsequent aggregation
In states of chronic inflammation, macrophages produce IL-1 and IL-6 which induce liver production of ____ protein, which undergoes limited proteolysis to ____ protein.
SAA; AA
True or False: Amyloid is usually localized to a single organ, such as the heart.
It depends on the clinical condition, but amyloid can be localized (to a single organ) or generalized/systemic involving several organs.
What is the difference between primary amyloidosis and secondary amyloidosis?
primary is associated with a plasma cell disorder, whereas secondary is a complication of an underlying chronic inflammatory or tissue-destructive process