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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
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Isolation of Intermediate Filament Proteins from Multiple Mouse Tissues to Study Aging-associated Post-translational Modifications
Published on: May 18, 2017
Proteasomal activity in brain differs between species and brain regions and changes with age
B-Y Zeng1, A D Medhurst, M Jackson
1Neurodegenerative Disease Research Centre, GKT School of Biomedical Sciences, King's College, London, UK.
Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
|May 13, 2005
Summary
Brain proteasome activity declines with age in rats and mice, particularly in basal ganglia. Marmosets show higher proteasome activity, suggesting species differences in aging brains and potential links to Parkinson's disease.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Aging Research
Background:
- Age-related protein oxidation and impaired proteasome function are linked to neuronal loss.
- Species- and region-specific differences in proteasome susceptibility to aging are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in proteasome activity across different brain regions in rats, mice, and common marmosets.
- To compare basal proteasome activity levels between these species.
Main Methods:
- Assessed chymotrypsin-, trypsin-, and peptidylglutamyl-like proteasome hydrolyzing activities in brain regions of young and aged rats, mice, and marmosets.
- Compared activity levels across species and brain areas.
Main Results:
- Aged rats and mice exhibited decreased proteasome activity in multiple brain regions, with varying impacts on specific catalytic activities.
- The substantia nigra showed significant impairment of all three proteasome activities in aged rodents.
- Common marmosets displayed significantly higher chymotrypsin- and trypsin-like activities across all brain regions compared to rodents.
Conclusions:
- Common marmosets possess higher basal proteasome activity than rats and mice.
- The basal ganglia appear more vulnerable to age-related declines in proteasome activity.
- These findings may elucidate the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in Parkinson's disease and aging.
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