Related Experiment Videos
Gene expression in Alzheimer neocortex as a function of age and pathologic severity
C A Robinson1, A W Clark, I M Parhad
1Department of Pathology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Neurobiology of Aging
|November 1, 1994
Summary
Alzheimer
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Pathology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by altered gene expression in the neocortex, with decreased neuronal and increased glial markers.
- Pathologic changes may differ in severity between presenile AD (PAD) and senile AD (SAD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how transcript expression changes in AD relate to age and the severity of neuropathologic findings.
- To determine if age-related gene expression shifts contribute to differences between PAD and SAD.
Main Methods:
- Northern blot analysis was used to quantify transcript levels.
- Examined expression of neuronal markers (neurofilament light subunit, amyloid precursor protein isoforms) and glial markers (glial fibrillary acidic protein).
Main Results:
- Significant decline (>50%) in neuronal transcripts (neurofilament light, APP) observed in both PAD and SAD, correlating with age.
- Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) transcript levels were elevated in AD, especially in the presenile group.
- Higher GFAP transcript levels correlated with increased neurofibrillary tangles, while higher APP695 transcript levels correlated with more senile plaques.
Conclusions:
- Neuronal mRNA decrements in AD are superimposed on an age-related decline.
- Age-related gene expression shifts may explain variations in pathologic severity between presenile and senile AD.