Differential distribution of aldolase A and C in the human central nervous system

We have analyzed the distribution of aldolase A and C mRNAs and proteins in various areas of the human brain using Northern blot analyses and immunohistochemistry. Aldolase A mRNA expression was higher than aldolase C mRNA expression in all areas of the brain examined. Aldolase C mRNA expression was highest in the cerebellum. Aldolase C protein was present in well-delimited regions of the CNS, and was distributed in stripes in the Purkinje cell layer of the cerebellum, in the inferior olives and in the sensory neurons of the posterior horn of the spinal cord. The novel finding of aldolase C in well-delimited cell compartments of the human cerebellum and in several other areas of the CNS lends weight to the hypothesis that this protein exerts other functions (e.g. sensory transmission) besides those characteristic of a glycolytic enzyme.