Neuronal gene expression in aluminum-induced neurofibrillary pathology: an in situ hybridization study

Alterations in cytoskeletal proteins such as the perikaryal accumulation of neurofilaments (NFs) occur in a number of human neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and may contribute to their debilitating effects. The administration of aluminum salts to rabbits induces the aberrant accumulation of NFs within the proximal axons and perikarya of vulnerable neurons and is one animal model which has been extensively studied in an attempt to gain insight into the mechanism(s) of NF perturbations in human disease. Previous studies using Northern blotting techniques to examine mRNA levels in the aluminum-induced neuropathy model have led to seemingly contradictory results. We have used in situ hybridization which provides the cellular resolution needed to: 1) determine whether there are generalized decreases in the levels of mRNA expression or decreases in mRNA encoding specific proteins; 2) determine whether alterations in mRNA levels occur specifically in neurons with NF accumulations; and 3) begin to resolve some of the apparent contradictions in the literature. A moderate dose of aluminum lactate administered on two consecutive days produced neurofibrillary tangles in spinal cord neurons seven days after the first dose. Polyadenylated mRNA levels were not altered in spinal cord neurons in aluminum-treated compared to saline-treated control animals or in tangle-bearing compared to non tangle-bearing neurons in aluminum-treated animals. Middle and high NF subunit (NFH) mRNA levels were not significantly different from polyadenylated mRNA levels in spinal cord neurons in aluminum-treated/control animals. NFH mRNA levels were decreased in neurons containing aluminum-induced NF accumulations. These results suggest that NFH gene expression may be down regulated by an inhibitory feedback mechanism induced by perikaryal accumulations of NFs. This inhibitory feedback regulation for NFH may have implications for neurodegenerative diseases in which NFs accumulate in neuronal perikarya.