title: Age-related changes in glial fibrillary acidic protein mRNA in the mouse brain.
abstract: Several RNA sequences were tested for age-related changes in prevalence levels in the mouse cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. In all three regions, there were increased levels of RNA for glial fibrillary acidic protein, an astrocyte-specific protein, by RNA gel-blot analysis and by a solution hybridization assay. There was no change in glutamine synthetase mRNA level, another glial protein. The only other mRNA sequence which changed was Thy-1 antigen, a neuronal protein, which decreased slightly in the hippocampus. We conclude that with age there is an age-related increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein RNA prevalence potentially reflecting an increase in the size, number, and/or fibrous character of astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Andrus Gerontology Center, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Goss
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Finch
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger