The glycosylphosphatidylinositol

(GPI)-linked ceruloplasmin on astrocytes functions as a ferroxidase, mediating the oxidation of ferrous iron transported from the cytosol by ferroportin and its subsequent transfer to transferrin. In cases with aceruloplasminemia, neurons take up the iron from alternative sources of non-transferrin-bound iron, because astrocytes without GPI-linked ceruloplasmin cannot transport iron to transferrin. The excess iron in astrocytes could result in oxidative damage to these cells, and the neuronal cell protection offered by astrocytes would thus be disrupted. Neuronal cell loss may result from iron starvation in the early stage and from iron-mediated oxidation in the late stage. Ceruloplasmin may therefore find more play an essential role in neuronal survival in the central nervous system. “
“Identification of the proteinaceous components of the pathological inclusions is an important step in understanding

the associated disease mechanisms. We immunohistochemically examined two previously reported cases with eosinophilic neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCIs) (case 1, Mori et al. Neuropathology 2010; 30: 648–53; case 2, Kojima et al. Acta Pathol Jpn 1990; 40: 785–91) using 67 antibodies against proteins related Compound Library concentration to cytoskeletal constituents, ubiquitin-proteasome system, autophagy-lysosome pathway and stress granule formation. Regional distribution pattern of eosinophilic NCIs in case 1 was substantially different from that in case 2. However, NCIs in both cases were immunonegative for ubiquitin and p62 and were immunopositive for stress granule markers as well as autophagy-related proteins, including valosin-containing protein. Considering that eukaryotic stress granules are cleared by autophagy and valosin-containing protein function, our findings suggest that eosinophilic NCIs in the present two cases may represent the process of autophagic clearance of stress granules. “
“M. Nakamura, S. Kaneko, R. Wate, S. Asayama,

Y. Nakamura, K. Fujita, H. Ito and H. Kusaka (2013) Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology39, 144–156 Regionally different immunoreactivity for Smurf2 and pSmad2/3 in TDP-43-positive inclusions of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Aims: Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor-2 (Smurf2), Adenosine triphosphate an E3 ubiquitin ligase, can interact with Smad proteins and promote their ubiquitin-dependent degradation, thereby controlling the cellular levels of these signalling mediators. We previously reported that phosphorylated Smad2/3 (pSmad2/3) was sequestered in transactive response DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) inclusions in the spinal cord of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recent biochemical and immunohistochemical studies on spinal cord and brain of ALS patients demonstrated that the composition of the TDP-43 inclusions is regionally distinct, suggesting different underlying pathogenic processes.