Distribution of sialoglycoconjugates in the rat cerebellum and its change with aging.
We examined the distribution of sialoglycoconjugates in the cerebellum of 9-week-old and 30-month-old rats using light microscopy and electron microscopy in combination with two lectins, Maackia amurensis lectin (MAL) for Sia(alpha)2-3Gal and Sambucus sieboldiana agglutinin (SSA) for Sia(alpha)2-6Gal. Each lectin showed characteristic staining patterns. In young adult rats, MAL stained a strongly granular layer, a weakly molecular layer, and the medullary lamina, while SSA more strongly stained the medullary lamina than the molecular and granular layers. After aging, different staining patterns were obtained. Intense SSA reactivity was observed in the granular layer and intense MAL reactivity was observed in the medullary lamina of the aged groups. The reactivity of Purkinje cells with MAL was downregulated in the aged rats. These results indicated that Sia(alpha)2-3Gal and Sia(alpha)2-6Gal were expressed in distinct regions of the rat cerebellum and that their expression patterns changed in the aged brain.
Department of Glycobiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
Tasuku
T
Sasaki
Yoshihiro
Y
Akimoto
Yuji
Y
Sato
Hayato
H
Kawakami
Hiroshi
H
Hirano
Tamao
T
Endo
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006001:Glycoconjugates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D037102:Lectins; D029901:Maackia / Q000737:chemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D037121:Plant Lectins; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D054788:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*
D006001:Glycoconjugates; D037102:Lectins; D037121:Plant Lectins; C050600:Sambucus nigra lectins; D012794:Sialic Acids; D054788:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins