Maturational and aging effects on guanine nucleotide binding protein immunoreactivity in human brain

Age-related changes in transmembrane signal transduction have been reported for a number of hormonal receptors in human tissues. Guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G-proteins) are major regulatory components in the signal transduction processes for numerous receptors. Developmental changes in the abundance of specific G-protein alpha subunits, especially for Go, have already been shown in rat brain and in neuronal cell lines. In this study, immunoblotting analyses were performed with specific rabbit polyclonal antisera to Gs alpha, Gi alpha, Go alpha, and G beta subunits to estimate semi-quantitatively these G-protein subunits in samples of parietal cortex obtained postmortem from 18 subjects free of neurologic or psychiatric disease whose ages ranged from 3 days to 92 years. The Gs and Gi alpha subunit immunoreactivities were correlated significantly and inversely with age. The Gi alpha immunoreactivity declined markedly (46%) after the age of 40. As other G-protein subunit concentrations showed no age-dependent changes, the observed relationship between Gs and Gi alpha subunits and age is not likely due to cell loss occurring with advancing age. Of particular interest, the ratio of 52 to 45 kDa Gs alpha subunit immunoreactivities was significantly higher in infants than that found for adult parietal cortex. Given that changes in G-protein subunit abundance directly affect receptor-G-protein-effector functionality and response, these age-related alterations may be of importance in cerebral dysfunction and the development of neuropsychiatric disease in the later years of life.