Expression of LIF and LIF receptor beta in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
BACKGROUND
Signaling through the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) receptor (LIFR) is crucial for nervous system development. There are few studies concerning the expression of LIF and LIFR in normal and degenerating adult human brain.


OBJECTIVE
To study the expression of LIF and LIFR in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and control brains.


METHODS
LIF and LIFR mRNA copy numbers were determined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR from four brain regions of 34 patients with AD, 40 patients with PD, and 40 controls. Immunohistochemistry was performed in seven PD and in four AD patients and in seven normal controls.


RESULTS
In general, the LIF copy numbers were 1 log higher than the LIFR copy numbers. In the AD brains, LIF expression was higher than in the controls in the hippocampus and in the temporal cortex, and in the PD brains in the hippocampus and in the anterior cingulated cortex. Expressions of LIF and LIFR in different brain regions were opposite except for the AD hippocampus and PD anterior cingulated cortex, where the expression patterns were parallel.


CONCLUSIONS
Co-operative expression of LIF and LIFR in AD hippocampus and PD anterior cingulated cortex may indicate a role for LIF in neuronal damage or repair in these sites.
Soilu-Hänninen
M
M
Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. mersoi@utu.fi
Broberg
E
E
Röyttä
M
M
Mattila
P
P
Rinne
J
J
Hukkanen
V
V
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D053606:Receptors, OSM-LIF / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C507837:LIF protein, human; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D053606:Receptors, OSM-LIF