Regional and cellular presenilin 2 (STM2) gene expression in the human brain

Presenilin 2 (STM2) is a recently cloned gene involved in some forms of early onset Alzheimer's disease with autosomal dominant inheritance. Here we report the regional and cellular distribution of STM2 mRNA in the normal human central nervous system. Using in situ hybridization. STM2 gene expression was shown to be confined exclusively to neurones in the central nervous system. A high level of STM2 mRNA expression was observed in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, more particularly on pyramidal neurones of Ammon's horn and granular neurones of the dentate gyrus. STM2 mRNA was also detected in Purkinje cells and granular cells of the cerebellum, and in neurones of the striatum and the nucleus basalis of Meynert. Taken together, these results suggest that the expression of STM2 mRNA is not restricted to the neuronal populations that are known to degenerate in Alzheimer's disease.