title: Food restriction delays the age-related increase in GFAP mRNA in rat hypothalamus.
abstract: Astrogliosis with advancing age is correlated with increased expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Hypothalamic GFAP mRNA prevalence was determined in male F344 rats of different ages that were fed ad lib (AL) and compared with that of rats that were food-restricted (FR) to 60% of AL levels. Hypothalamic GFAP mRNA increased 3-fold at 24 to 25 months in AL rats compared with 3 and 6 month groups. There were no differences in GFAP mRNA levels between AL and FR rats from 3 to 18 months. However, GFAP mRNA was significantly lower in FR than in AL rats at 24 to 25 months; FR rats reached the level of GFAP mRNA in 24 to 25 months AL rats by 33 months. Hypothalamic glutamine synthetase mRNA also increased with age in both dietary groups but did not differ between dietary groups at any age. The observation that FR delays the increased expression of GFAP in the hypothalamus during aging lends support to the hypothesis that upregulation of GFAP mRNA is a biomarker of brain aging.
authors.affiliation: Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-0191, USA.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Finch
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005502:Food; D015870:Gene Expression; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase