Abstract
In order to characterize cell death mechanisms involved in Alzheimer disease (AD), we quantitated the expression of ced-3 and ced-9 homologs in AD frontal cortex. Positive (ICE, ICErel-II, ICErel-III, Ich-1L, CPP32, mch2, mch3, bcl-xS, bax and bak) and negative (bcl-2, bcl-xL, MCL1 and Ich-1S) regulators of apoptosis were successively examined using a semi-quantitative technique of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Total RNA was extracted from postmortem frontal cortex of AD patients (n = 7) and controls (n = 7) matched for age and autolysis time. Baseline levels of message were detected for 3 ced-3 (CPP32, Ich-1 and ICE) and 4 ced-9 homologs (bcl-x, MCL1, bcl-2 and bax) in the frontal cortex. There was an overexpression of the ICEalpha cDNA in AD patients as compared with age-matched controls (P = 0.03). Our results indicate that several ced-3 and ced-9 homologs are expressed in the adult human brain, and suggest that neuronal cell death in AD might involve an aberrant expression of ICEalpha.
Publication types
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
-
Adult
-
Aged
-
Alzheimer Disease / genetics
-
Alzheimer Disease / metabolism*
-
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
-
Apoptosis*
-
Autolysis
-
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins*
-
Caspase 1
-
Caspase 2
-
Caspase 3
-
Caspase 6
-
Caspases*
-
Cysteine Endopeptidases / analysis
-
Cysteine Endopeptidases / biosynthesis*
-
Frontal Lobe / metabolism*
-
Frontal Lobe / pathology
-
Helminth Proteins / analysis
-
Helminth Proteins / biosynthesis*
-
Humans
-
Membrane Proteins / biosynthesis
-
Polymerase Chain Reaction
-
Protein Biosynthesis
-
Proto-Oncogene Proteins / analysis
-
Proto-Oncogene Proteins / biosynthesis*
-
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / biosynthesis
-
Reference Values
-
Transcription, Genetic
-
bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein
-
bcl-2-Associated X Protein
-
bcl-X Protein
Substances
-
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
-
BAK1 protein, human
-
BAX protein, human
-
BCL2L1 protein, human
-
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
-
Ced-9 protein, C elegans
-
Helminth Proteins
-
Membrane Proteins
-
Proto-Oncogene Proteins
-
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
-
bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein
-
bcl-2-Associated X Protein
-
bcl-X Protein
-
CASP3 protein, human
-
CASP6 protein, human
-
Caspase 2
-
Caspase 3
-
Caspase 6
-
Caspases
-
Cysteine Endopeptidases
-
ced-3 protein, C elegans
-
Caspase 1