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Age-Dependent Decline of Nogo-A Protein in the Mouse Cerebrum

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Abstract

Nogo-A, a myelin-associated neurite growth inhibitory protein, is implicated in synaptic plasticity. It binds to its receptor namely the Nogo-66 receptor1 (NgR1) and regulates filamentous (F) actin dynamics via small GTPases of the Rho family, RhoA kinase (ROCK), LimK and cofilin. These proteins are associated with the structural plasticity, one of the components of synaptic plasticity, which is known to decline with normal aging. So, the level of Nogo-A and its receptor NgR1 are likely to vary during normal brain aging. However, it is not clearly understood how the levels of Nogo-A and its receptor NgR1 change in the cerebrum during aging. Several studies show an age- and gender-dependent decline in synaptic plasticity. Therefore, the present study was planned to analyze the relative changes in the mRNA and protein levels of Nogo-A and NgR1 in both male and female mice cerebrum during normal aging. Western blot analysis has shown decrease in Nogo-A protein level during aging in both male and female mice cerebrum. This was further confirmed by immunofluorescence analysis. RT-PCR analysis of Nogo-A mRNA showed no significant difference in the above-mentioned groups. This was also supported by in situ hybridization. NgR1 protein and its mRNA expression levels showed no significant alteration with aging in the cerebrum of both male and female mice. Taken together, we speculate that the downregulation of Nogo-A protein might have a role in the altered synaptic plasticity during aging.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Kazumasa Yokoyama (Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo) for generous gift of rabbit anti-Nogo-A antibody. Anita is a recipient of senior research fellowship from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. This work was principally supported by Grants from the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Department of Science & Technology, India.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    Anita Kumari & M. K. Thakur

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  1. Anita Kumari
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  2. M. K. Thakur
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Correspondence to M. K. Thakur.

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Kumari, A., Thakur, M.K. Age-Dependent Decline of Nogo-A Protein in the Mouse Cerebrum. Cell Mol Neurobiol 34, 1131–1141 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-014-0088-z

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