title: Age-related decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression in the brain of the zitter rat with genetic spongiform encephalopathy.
abstract: The zitter rat exhibits a progressive degradation in neuronal cells and genetic spongiform encephalopathy with age. In order to elucidate the involvement of the expression of the neurotrophic factor in neuropathology of the rat, we quantified mRNA levels of neurotrophic factors (nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3, ciliary neurotrophic factor and glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor) in the zitter rat brain. Expression of the BDNF gene was lower in the zitter rat brain (cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem regions). Interestingly, kinase activity of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) Erk2 involved in the expression of BDNF was also down regulated, despite an unchanging expression of MAPK protein. These results show the possible involvement of a MAPK pathway in BDNF mRNA reduction in the zitter rat brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger