Oligomeric amyloid beta-protein as a therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease: its significance based on its distinct localization and the occurrence of a familial variant form.

Oligomer Abeta is the term utilized for multimeric but non-fibrillar forms of amyloid beta-protein (Abeta). The most prominent property of oligomer Abeta is considered to be its solubility and structure. Here, we examined the histochemical localization of oligomer Abeta in AD brains. At present, little information is available on the structure and function of cerebral oligomer Abeta. We therefore studied the molecular localization of oligomer Abeta using a newly generated polyclonal mouse antisera against a variant Abeta with a deletion mutation of the 22(nd) glutamate that we found recently in a patient with familial Alzheimer's disease. Intracellular as well as extracellular oligomer Abeta are herein discussed to define their structure and pathological roles in disease.