Quantification of presenilin‐1 mRNA in Alzheimer's disease brains

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Abstract
The presenilin‐1 (PS‐1) gene on chromosome 14 carries mutations which cosegregate with early‐onset familial Alzheimer's disease. We quantified PS‐1 mRNA in post‐mortem mid‐temporal and superior frontal cortices from 14 Alzheimer's disease subjects, 9 non‐demented controls and 5 subjects with other neurological diseases using solution hybridisation‐RNase protection assay. APP and APLP2 mRNAs had previously been quantified in these samples (Johnston et al. (1996) Mol. Brain Res., in press) and subjects were apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyped. There were no significant differences between PS‐1 mRNA levels per pg total RNA in mid‐temporal or superior frontal cortices of the Alzheimer's disease subjects, compared to controls. PS‐1 mRNA levels corresponded to 10% of total APP and 30% of APLP2 mRNA levels, and were not significantly affected by age, post‐mortem delay, tissue pH, or APOE genotype. PS‐1 mRNA showed significant positive correlations with APP and APLP2 mRNA levels in mid‐temporal cortex and with APP mRNA in superior frontal cortex. This may reflect a co‐regulation of the expression of these genes, or the fact that they are expressed in similar neuronal populations.