The Role of Apolipoprotein E and Ethanol Exposure in Age-Related Changes in Choline Acetyltransferase and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression in the Mouse Hippocampus

AbstractDisruption of apolipoprotein E (APOE) is responsible for age-dependent neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment. Elderly individuals are more sensitive than young individuals to the effects of ethanol (EtOH), particularly those affecting cognition. We investigated the role of APOE deficiency and EtOH exposure on age-dependent alterations in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and protein expression in the mouse hippocampus. Three-month-old (young) and 12-month-old (aged)ApoE-knockout (ApoE-KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were treated with saline or 2  g/kg EtOH, and the bilateral hippocampus was collected after 60 min for real-time PCR and western blotting analyses. ChAT (P< 0.01) and BDNF (P< 0.01) expression were significantly decreased in both young and aged saline- and EtOH-treatedApoE-KO mice versus young and aged saline- and EtOH-treated WT mice. Aged saline- and EtOH-treatedApoE-KO mice exhibited greater differences in ChAT and BDNF expression (P< 0.01) than young saline- and EtOH-treatedApoE-KO mice. Aged EtOH-treated WT mice also exhibited larger decreases in BDNF expression (P< 0.01) —but not in ChAT expression—than young EtOH-treated WT mice. EtOH decreased ChAT and BDNF expression in both young (P< 0.01) and aged (P< 0.01) ApoE-KO mice versus EtOH-free ApoE-KO mice of the same age. EtOH also decreased BDNF expression in aged (P< 0.01) WT mice versus EtOH-free aged WT mice. In summary, ...
Source: Journal of Molecular Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research