NR AIRQ
AU Muto,Y.; Hayashi,T.; Higashi,Y.; Endo,T.; Yamamoto,T.; Sato,K.
TI Age-related decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression in the brain of the zitter rat with genetic spongiform encephalopathy
QU Neuroscience Letters 1999 Aug 20; 271(2): 69-72
PT journal article
AB The zitter rat exhibits a progressive degradation in neuronal cells and genetic spongiform encephalopathy with age. In order to elucidate the involvement of the expression of the neurotrophic factor in neuropathology of the rat, we quantified mRNA levels of neurotrophic factors (nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3, ciliary neurotrophic factor and glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor) in the zitter rat brain. Expression of the BDNF gene was lower in the zitter rat brain (cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem regions). Interestingly, kinase activity of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) Erk2 involved in the expression of BDNF was also down regulated, despite an unchanging expression of MAPK protein. These results show the possible involvement of a MAPK pathway in BDNF mRNA reduction in the zitter rat brain.
MH Aging/*genetics; Animal; Animals, Newborn; Blotting, Western; Brain Chemistry/genetics; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/biosynthesis/*genetics/*metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/*genetics; Prion Diseases/*genetics/metabolism; RNA, Messenger/metabolism; Rats; Rats, Mutant Strains; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Time Factors
AD Department of Molecular Biology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
SP englisch
PO Irland