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Title: Biochemical and behavioral characterization of the double transgenic mouse model (APPswe/PS1dE9) of Alzheimer's disease.
Author: Xiong H, Callaghan D, Wodzinska J, Xu J, Premyslova M, Liu QY, Connelly J, Zhang W.
Journal: Neurosci Bull; 2011 Aug; 27(4):221-32. PubMed ID: 21788993.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE The double transgenic mouse model (APPswe/PS1dE9) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been widely used in experimental studies. β-Amyloid (Aβ) peptide is excessively produced in AD mouse brain, which affects synaptic function and the development of central nervous system. However, little has been reported on characterization of this model. The present study aimed to characterize this mouse AD model and its wild-type counterparts by biochemical and functional approaches. METHODS Blood samples were collected from the transgenic and the wild-type mice, and radial arm water maze behavioral test was conducted at the ages of 6 and 12 months. The mice were sacrificed at 12-month age. One hemisphere of the brain was frozen-sectioned for immunohistochemistry and the other hemisphere was dissected into 7 regions. The levels of Aβ1-40, Aβ1-42 and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in blood or/and brain samples were analyzed by ELISA. Secretase activities in brain regions were analyzed by in vitro assays. RESULTS The pre-mature death rate of transgenic mice was approximately 35% before 6-month age, and high levels of Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) were detected in these dead mice brains with a ratio of 1:10. The level of blood-borne Aβ at 6-month age was similar with that at 12-month age. Besides, Aβ(1-40) level in the blood was significantly higher than Aβ(1-42) level at the ages of 6 and 12 months (ratio 2.37:1). In contrast, the level of Aβ(1-42) in the brain (160.6 ng/mg protein) was higher than that of Aβ(1-40) (74 ng/mg protein) (ratio 2.17:1). In addition, the levels of Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) varied markedly among different brain regions. Aβ(1-42) level was significantly higher than Aβ(1-40) level in cerebellum, frontal and posterior cortex, and hippocampus. Secretase activity assays did not reveal major differences among different brain regions or between wild-type and transgenic mice, suggesting that the transgene PS1 did not lead to higher γ-secretase activity but was more efficient in producing Aβ(1-42) peptides. 8-OHdG, the biomarker of DNA oxidative damage, showed a trend of increase in the blood of transgenic mice, but with no significant difference, as compared with the wild-type mice. Behavioral tests showed that transgenic mice had significant memory deficits at 6-month age compared to wild-type controls, and the deficits were exacerbated at 12-month age with more errors. CONCLUSION These results suggest that this mouse model mimics the early-onset human AD and may represent full-blown disease at as early as 6-month age for experimental studies. 目的: 阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer’s disease, AD) APPswe/PS1dE9双转基因小鼠已被广泛运用于各种实验研究。 AD小鼠脑内产生过量的β淀粉样蛋白(Aβ), 后者会影响突触功能和中枢神经系统的发育。然而, 该转基因小鼠模型的生化和行为学特征却未见报道。本研究旨在对该小鼠模型的病理从生化和行为学角度进行检测。方法: 对6月和12月龄转基因和野生型小鼠取血约100 μL, 1 200 g离心后, 分离血清。在小鼠6月和12月龄时, 进行为期15天的辐射状六臂水迷宫实验。 ELISA法检测血清和大脑中Aβ_1–40和Aβ_1–42的含量, 以及血清中8-羟基脱氧鸟苷的含量。比较转基因和野生型小鼠大脑不同部位中α-, β- 和 γ-分泌酶活性的差异。结果: 在6月龄之前, APPswe/PS1dE9双转基因小鼠的死亡率约为35%, 这些死亡的小鼠脑内Aβ_1–40和Aβ_1–42水平较高, 两者比例约为1:10。在6月和12月龄时, 转基因小鼠血清中Aβ_1–40水平均显著高于Aβ_1–42水平, Aβ_1–40与Aβ_1–42比例为 2.37:1。在12月龄时, 转基因小鼠大脑中Aβ_1–42水平显著高于Aβ_1–40水平, 两者比例约为2.17: 1, 并且在不同脑区中, Aβ_1–42和Aβ_1–40含量变化较大。在小脑、前、后部皮质层以及海马中, Aβ_1–42水平显著高于Aβ_1–40。分泌酶活性在转基因和野生型小鼠之间以及在不同脑部位之间没有很大的差异, 这提示PS1转基因并没有导致高γ-分泌酶活性, 该基因可能使 γ-分泌酶更有效的切割和产生Aβ_1–42。此外, 转基因小鼠血清中8-羟基脱氧鸟苷含量较野生型小鼠升高, 但没有显著性差异。行为学结果显示, 在6月龄时, 转基因小鼠与野生型相比呈现出显著的记忆障碍, 到12月龄时, 这种障碍变得更为严重, 表现为水迷宫实验中产生更多的错误。结论: APPswe/PS1dE9双转基因小鼠最早在6月龄时就能很好地模拟早发性AD, 可用于实验研究。

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