Age-related changes in the expression of Alzheimerʼs βAPP in the brain of senescence accelerated mouse (SAM)-P/10

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Abstract
PATIENTS with Alzheimer's disease (AD) show loss of memory and cognitive deficits the molecular mechanisms of which are not completely known. We examined age-related changes in the expression levels of β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) in the brain of the senescence accelerated mouse (SAM) P/10, which shows age-dependent brain atrophy and impairment in learning and memory, and in the senescence resistant mouse (SAM)-R/1 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. Levels of both βAPP mRNA and protein increased with age, reaching a peak at 8 months of age in the hippocampus of SAM-P/10. In contrast, βAPP protein level decreased with age in the hippocampus of SAM-R/1 while βAPP mRNA level did not change significantly. Levels of βAPP mRNA and protein showed no change with ageing in other brain regions, including cerebral cortex, thalamus/midbrain and cerebellum brain stem. These results suggest that the βAPP over-expression in the hippocampus might be related to the characteristic memory loss in SAM-P/10.