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Review
. 2012 Jul 4:2:65-77.
doi: 10.2147/DNND.S19829. eCollection 2012.

Cell adhesion molecules in Alzheimer's disease

Malin Wennström  1 , Henrietta M Nielsen  1
Affiliations
Review

Cell adhesion molecules in Alzheimer's disease

Malin Wennström et al. Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis. .

Abstract

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) mediate interactions between cells and their surroundings that are vital to processes controlling for cell survival, activation, migration, and plasticity. However, increasing evidence suggests that CAMs also mediate mechanisms involved in several neurological diseases. This article reviews the current knowledge on the role of CAMs in amyloid-β (Aβ) metabolism, cell plasticity, neuroinflammation, and vascular changes, all of which are considered central to the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This paper also outlines the possible roles of CAMs in current and novel AD treatment strategies.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; amyloid-beta; cell adhesion molecules; neuroinflammation; plasticity; vascular changes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of the various CAM structures. Ig-like CAMs are defined by one or more extracellular Ig repeats of 60 to 100 amino acids that form the active adhesion site and a transmembrane segment with a cytoplasmic tail. Classical cadherins have five extracellular cadherin repeats, a single transmembrane domain, and an intracellular tail. Integrin heterodimeric receptors are formed by α and β transmembrane units. Selectins have a short cytoplasmic carboxyl terminus, a transmembrane sequence followed by complement regulatory-like molecules, and an extracellular component containing an epidermal growth factor-like domain and an amino terminal domain that is homologous to C-type lectins. Adapted with permission from Marchetti PJ, O’Connor P. Cellular adhesion molecules in neurology. Can J Neurol Sci. 1997;24(3):201. Abbreviations: CAM, cell adhesion molecule; Ig, immunoglobulin.
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