Contribution of Infection with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) to the Production of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) and Alzheimer’s Disease-associated Beta Amyloid

The accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain, particularly amyloid-β peptides, is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder for which the specific cause is unknown. Infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) may be a factor contributing to the development of Alzheimer's disease because disease incidence is higher in persons who have been infected with CMV. In previous work, we determined that CMV infection increased phosphorylation of tau, the protein that forms neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we determine if CMV infection of neuron-like cells also contributes to the production of beta- amyloid. To address this, we will infect B35 neuroblastoma cells with murine CMV, and determine whether the production of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and beta-amyloid is altered using western blotting. If so, we will design experiments to determine how CMV infection alters APP processing and beta amyloid production, shedding light on the pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease.