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Increase in cathepsin D activity in rat brain in aging
Author(s) -
Kenessey A.,
BanaySchwartz M.,
de Guzman T.,
Lajtha A.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490230412
Subject(s) - striatum , pepstatin , hippocampus , pons , medicine , cerebellum , endocrinology , medulla , cortex (anatomy) , cathepsin d , spinal cord , chemistry , biology , neuroscience , biochemistry , dopamine , enzyme , protease
Cathepsin D‐like activity in homogenates of five brain areas of 3‐month‐old and 24‐month‐old Fischer 344 rats was measured. With hemoglobin as substrate at pH 3.2, more than 90% of the activity was inhibited by pepstatin. In each area studied, activity was more than twice as high in the old rat brain: 140–160% higher in the cortex, cerebellum, pons‐medulla, and striatum and 90–100% higher in the hippocampus and spinal cord. The greatly increased metabolic capacity in the absence of an increase in protein turnover may have a role in age‐related pathological degeneration in the brain.