title: Is aging preprogrammed? Observations from the brain/gut axis.
abstract: Age related differential gene expression occurs in the neuro-enteral axis. Brain and gut organ weight, total RNA, total protein and three peptides were quantified in 4-, 10- and 37-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. As animals aged, total RNA decreased in the brain (0.65 +/- 0.3-0.28 +/- 0.03 mg/g), but remained stable in the gut (2.6 +/- 0.3-2.9 +/- 0.4 mg/g). Total protein concentration rose in the duodenum (612 +/- 28-734 +/- 34 mg/g), while levels remained stable in the brain (641 +/- 54-666 +/- 34 mg/g). Three peptides were studied, cholecystokinin (CCK), VIP and secretin. With increasing age, significant changes were found only in CCK a true neural-enteral peptide. The concentration of smaller molecular forms of CCK decreased in the brain (248 +/- 18-188 +/- 21 pmol/g), while they remained stable in the duodenum (33 +/- 2-36 +/- 3 pmol/g). By contrast, the concentration of the larger forms of CCK were stable in the brain (36 +/- 3-40 +/- 4 pmol/g), but rose in the gut (89 +/- 14-134 +/- 17 pmol/g). These data indicate that as rats age there is preprogrammed differential control of gene expression between brain and intestine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, VAMC Bronx 10468.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Greenstein
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ybanez
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Bauman
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002766:Cholecystokinin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004064:Digestive System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D012313:RNA; D002766:Cholecystokinin