title: Role of F3/contactin expression profile in synaptic plasticity and memory in aged mice.
abstract: We have recently shown that overexpression of the F3/contactin adhesive glycoprotein (also known as Contactin-1) promotes neurogenesis in adult hippocampus, which correlates with improved synaptic plasticity and memory. Because F3/contactin levels physiologically decrease with age, here, we aim at investigating whether its overexpression might counteract the cognitive decline in aged animals. For this we use 20- to 24-month-old TAG/F3 transgenic mice in which F3/contactin overexpression is driven by regulatory sequences from the gene encoding the transient axonal glycoprotein TAG-1 throughout development. We show that aged TAG/F3 mice display improved hippocampal long-term potentiation and memory compared with wild-type littermates. The same mice undergo a decrease of neuronal apoptosis at the hippocampal level, which correlated to a decrease of active caspase-3; by contrast, procaspase-3 and Bax as well as the anti-apoptotic and plasticity-related pathway BDNF/CREB/Bcl-2 were rather increased. Interestingly, amyloid-precursor protein processing was shifted toward sAPPα generation, with a decrease of sAPPβ and amyloid-beta levels. Our data confirm that F3/contactin plays a role in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory also in aged mice, suggesting that it acts on molecular pathways related to apoptosis and amyloid-beta production.
authors: Section of Physiology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Puzzo
authors: Section of Physiology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors: Antonella
authors: A
authors: Bizzoca
authors: Section of Anatomy, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors: Carla
authors: C
authors: Loreto
authors: Section of Physiology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors: Chiara A
authors: CA
authors: Guida
authors: Section of Physiology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors: Walter
authors: W
authors: Gulisano
authors: Section of Physiology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors: Giuseppina
authors: G
authors: Frasca
authors: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University "Kore", Enna, Italy.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Bellomo
authors: Section of Anatomy, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors: Sergio
authors: S
authors: Castorina
authors: Section of Physiology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: gianfranco.gennarini@uniba.it.
authors: Gianfranco
authors: G
authors: Gennarini
authors: Section of Physiology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. Electronic address: apalmeri@unict.it.
authors: Agostino
authors: A
authors: Palmeri
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000502:physiology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D058967:Contactin 1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000235:genetics; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D058967:Contactin 1; D053148:Caspase 3
keywords: Aging; Amyloid-beta; Amyloid-precursor protein cleavage; Apoptosis; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; F3/contactin; Long-term potentiation; Memory; cAMP-responsive element binding