title: Decreased activity and increased aggregation of brain calcineurin during aging.
abstract: Age-related decline in strength of synaptic transmission and memory formation has been attributed to age-associated increases in the activity of calcineurin (Cn) in hippocampus neurons. In the present study, we examined how brain Cn activity, Cn subunit levels, and Cn protein oxidation were changing during the aging process. Cn activity decreased with advancing age in three brain subcellular fractions, homogenate, cytosol, and synaptic membranes, obtained from F344/BNF1 rats of 5-6, 22-24, and 34-36 months of age. Cn activity also decreased during aging in homogenate, cytosol, and a nerve ending-enriched fraction from the hippocampus. Cn protein levels in homogenate and cytosol, as determined by the immune reactivity of its subunits A and B, were not altered during aging. But, in synaptic membranes, there was an age-related decrease in CnA levels, but not of CnB. Another important observation was that of an oxidative modification of CnA, not CnB, with increasing age. Such modification caused the formation of large aggregates of CnA. Aggregate formation was due to SH-group oxidation as the monomeric form of CnA was recovered upon disulfide reduction of the proteins with dithiothreitol. The age-related formation of aggregates of the catalytic subunit of Cn was suggestive of a correlation between aggregate formation and diminished enzyme activity. The loss of Cn activity may alter signal transduction at synapses during the aging process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Higuchi Biosciences Center, 5064 Malott Hall, 1251 Wescoe Drive, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
authors.forename: Abdulbaki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agbas
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.forename: Elias K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Michaelis
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D019703:Calcineurin / Q000378:metabolism*; D020134:Catalytic Domain / Q000502:physiology; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D021122:Protein Subunits; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013347:Subcellular Fractions; D013570:Synaptic Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D021122:Protein Subunits; D019703:Calcineurin