Fig. 6

Increased GPNMB protein levels in brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of sporadic Alzheimer‘s disease cases. GPNMB immunoreactivity was detected in microglial cells surrounding amyloid plaque cores and in the vicinity of blood vessel walls (a, e). (b) High-power view of the plaque core in (a). In addition, GPNMB-positive amoeboid microglia were detected in plaque-free areas (c, f), while GPNMB-positive microglia were only occasionally observed in samples from non-demented control patients (d). (g) In the TBS-soluble brain fractions, higher levels of GPNMB were detected in AD cases when compared to non-demented controls (NDC), however, without reaching statistical significance (p = 0.06). (h) No differences were detected between the two groups in SDS-soluble brain fractions. (i) The amount of GPNMB in the CSF of AD patients was significantly higher than in control patients. (j) No significant difference in GPNMB serum levels could be detected between controls and AD. All data are given as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05. Scale bar: A,D,E = 50 μm; B,C,F = 20 μm