Neuronal CDK7 in hippocampus is related to aging and Alzheimer disease.
Despite their supposedly terminally-differentiated quiescent status, many neurons in Alzheimer disease display an ectopic re-expression of cell-cycle related proteins. In the highly regulated process of cell cycle, cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (Cdk7) plays a crucial role as a Cdk-activating kinase and activates all of the major Cdk-cyclin substrates. In this study, we demonstrate that Cdk7 immunoreactivity is significantly elevated in susceptible hippocampal neurons of Alzheimer disease patients in comparison with age-matched controls. Notably, the expression of Cdk7 is age-dependent, with decreased levels between the ages of 54 and 65 years and after the age of 78. While the Cdk7 levels in Alzheimer disease patients are higher than controls within each age group, the difference is greatest between ages 54-65 where disease susceptibility and/or progression is likely more related to genetic factors.
Zhu
X
X
Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
Rottkamp
C A
CA
Raina
A K
AK
Brewer
G J
GJ
Ghanbari
H A
HA
Boux
H
H
Smith
M A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002648:Child; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000201:enzymology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D000095043:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Activating Kinase
D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D000095043:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Activating Kinase; C000722416:CDK7 protein, human