Abstract
Age-related changes and regional differences in caspase expression were determined in the primate brain. Using immunoblot analysis, the levels of endogenous caspase-3, caspase-9 and cytochrome c-triggered activated caspase-3 were examined in brain homogenates from the prefrontal, motor and visual cortices, cerebellum, hippocampus and amygdala of 4-year-old and 20-year-old rhesus macaques. Procaspase-3 was detected in similar quantities in all brain regions of both young and aging macaques. Being found in all brain regions, caspase-9 was significantly elevated in old macaques as compared to young ones. After incubation with cytochrome c, active forms of caspase-3 were detected in all brain regions of young and old macaques. In almost all brain regions of old monkeys, the levels of cytochrome c-dependent caspase-3 activation were higher than those of young macaques. These results suggest that the aging rhesus macaque brain has a lower threshold to apoptotic stimuli.
| Original language | British English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 112-120 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Molecular Brain Research |
| Volume | 123 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 7 Apr 2004 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Aging process
- Apoptosis
- Caspase-3
- Cerebral cortex
- Cytochrome c
- Development and regeneration
- Primate