title: Expression of the sulfhydryl oxidase ALR (Augmenter of Liver Regeneration) in adult rat brain.
abstract: Mammalian Augmenter of Liver Regeneration protein (ALR) was first identified as a secondary growth factor involved in liver regeneration. Its sulfhydryl oxidase activity and involvement in iron homeostasis have been recently demonstrated. ALR is expressed in a broad range of peripheral organs, and initial experiments gave also evidence for the occurrence of this protein in brain. In the present study, we investigated in detail the expression of ALR in rat brain sections and determined its cellular and subcellular localizations using biomolecular and immunohistochemical procedures. As shown by Northern blot, ALR is differentially expressed throughout the rat brain, with the highest mRNA levels in the cerebellum and diencephalon. High protein levels were also detected in the brain and cerebellum by Western blot. ALR immunoreactivity was found in neurons and glial cells throughout brain rostrocaudal extent. Labeled astrocytes were particularly abundant in the white matter, and immunoreactive neurons were observed in several regions including the olfactory bulb, isocortex, hippocampal formation, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, some nuclei of the brainstem and cerebellum. In neurons, immunoelectron microscopy showed the protein in the nucleus and mainly in mitochondria. These subcellular localizations may correlate with the occurrence of two ALR protein isoforms in the brain. In the central nervous system, the enzyme might be of importance in heavy metal homeostasis whose dysregulation can induce neurodegenerative disorders.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Histologie, E.A. 3922 Estrogènes, Expression Génique et Pathologies du Système Nerveux Central, IFR INSERM 133, Université de Franche-Comté, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, 19 rue Ambroise Paré, 25041 Besançon, France.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tury
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mairet-Coello
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lisowsky
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Griffond
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fellmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern / Q000379:methods; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D050862:Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C088825:GFER protein, rat; D050862:Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors