title: Ageing affects cytosolic Ca2+ binding proteins and synaptic markers in the retina but not in cerebral cortex neurons of the rat.
abstract: Two cerebral cortex areas (frontal and occipital) and the retina of rats varying in age from 0.4 to 30 months were investigated for the expression levels and distribution of two cytosolic high affinity Ca2+ binding proteins, calbindin-28 and calretinin, and of two presynaptic protein markers. Of these latter proteins, one is integral (synaptophysin) the other peripheral (synapsin I) to the synaptic vesicle membranes. In the cortex areas, no significant changes of the markers were observed, except for a drop of calretinin from 0.4 to 2 months, probably related to a stage of neuronal development. In the retina, calbindin-28 decreased progressively during ageing (-40% at 30 months) while calretinin remained unchanged. Concomitantly, the two synaptic vesicle proteins dropped, synaptophysin > 50% and synapsin I > 85%. The role of these changes in sustaining the functional alterations previously described in the retina of aged animals remains to be investigated.
authors.affiliation: DIBIT, San Raffaele Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Papazafiri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Podini
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meldolesi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D015153:Blotting, Western; D064032:Calbindin 2; D064026:Calbindins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism*; D016704:Synapsins / Q000378:metabolism; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C576512:Calb2 protein, rat; D064032:Calbindin 2; D064026:Calbindins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G; D016704:Synapsins; D016708:Synaptophysin