Immunohistochemical analysis of constituents of senile plaques and cerebro-vascular amyloid in aged dogs.

Immunohistochemical analysis of constituents of senile plaques and cerebro-vascular amyloid in the brain of aged dogs was performed using antisera against beta protein, cystatin C, ubiquitin, tau, and neurofilament (NF). All types of senile plaques and cerebro-vascular amyloid in aged dogs were labeled by anti-beta protein serum. Cystatin C immunoreactivity was detected in neuronal cell bodies, primitive or classical plaques, and amyloid deposited around cerebral capillaries, but not in diffuse plaques and amyloid deposited in the media tunica of cerebro-meningeal arterioles. Ubiquitin-positive granules distributed widely in both gray and white matter of aged dogs, while they were very small in number in young dogs. Swollen neurites-like materials in primitive plaques or classical plaques were immunoreactive for anti-ubiquitin serum. Tau immunostaining labeled commonly axons and several neuronal or glial cells after hydrate autoclave pretreatment. Tau-positive components were observed very rarely in the corona of classical plaques. Most of swollen neurites-like structures of primitive or classical plaques were not reactive for anti-NF serum, and only a few plaques contained small numbers of NF-positive elements.