title: Overexpression of presenilin-2 enhances apoptotic death of cultured cortical neurons.
abstract: Presenilin-2 (PS2) is a gene of unknown function linked with some forms of familial Alzheimer's disease. To investigate the biological role of PS2 in neurons, we overexpressed PS2 in primary cortical neurons using recombinant adenoviral vectors. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses showed enhanced expression of PS2 proteins in infected neurons after infection of recombinant adenoviruses containing the human wild-type or mutant PS2 gene. Neuronal survival was decreased by approximately 30% in cultures infected with adenovirus expressing either wild-type or mutant PS2, as compared with those infected with adenovirus expressing the LacZ gene. Fragmented nuclei were frequently observed in dying neurons. These data suggest that apoptotic death of cultured cortical neurons is enhanced by PS2 overexpression.
authors.affiliation: Division of Demyelinating Disease and Aging, National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan. araki@ncnp.go.jp
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yuasa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirotani
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tabira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D053766:Presenilin-2; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; C508861:PSEN2 protein, human; D053766:Presenilin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins