Articulo
Decrease in PTEN and increase in Akt expression and neuron size in aged rat spinal cord
Registro en:
issn:1873-6815
issn:0531-5565
Autor
Rodrigues De Amorim, Miguel Augusto
García Segura, Luis M.
Goya, Rodolfo Gustavo
Portiansky, Enrique Leo
Institución
Resumen
PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene known to play an important role in the regulation of cell size. In this study we compared PTEN expression in the spinal cord of young (5 months old) vs. aged (32 months old) female rats and correlated them with alterations in neuron size and morphology in the same animals. Total and phosphorylated PTEN (pPTEN) as well as its downstream target phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) were assessed by Western blotting. Spinal cord neurons were morphometrically characterized. Total PTEN, pPTEN and total Akt expression were significantly higher in young rats than in aged animals. Expression of pAkt was stronger in aged animals. A significant increase in neuronal size was observed in large motoneurons of aged as compared with young rats. Our data show that in the spinal cord of rats, neuronal PTEN expression diminishes with advanced age while neuronal size increases. These results suggest that in the spinal cord, an age-related reduction in PTEN and increase of pAkt expression may be involved in the progressive enlargement of neurons. INIBIOLP Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias