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Reduced hippocampal MT 2 melatonin receptor expression in Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Savaskan Egemen,
Ayoub Mohammed A.,
Ravid Rivka,
Angeloni Debora,
Fraschini Franco,
Meier Fides,
Eckert Anne,
MüllerSpahn Franz,
Jockers Ralf
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of pineal research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1600-079X
pISSN - 0742-3098
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-079x.2004.00169.x
Subject(s) - hippocampus , hippocampal formation , melatonin receptor , melatonin , biology , endocrinology , medicine , receptor , immunocytochemistry , immunohistochemistry , alzheimer's disease , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology , neuroscience , disease
The aim of the present study was to identify the distribution of the second melatonin receptor (MT 2 ) in the human hippocampus of elderly controls and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. This is the first report of immunohistochemical MT 2 localization in the human hippocampus both in control and AD cases. The specificity of the MT 2 antibody was ascertained by fluorescence microscopy using the anti‐MT 2 antibody in HEK 293 cells expressing recombinant MT 2 , in immunoblot experiments on membranes from MT 2 expressing cells, and, finally, by immunoprecipitation experiments of the native MT 2 . MT 2 immunoreactivity was studied in the hippocampus of 16 elderly control and 16 AD cases. In controls, MT 2 was localized in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampal subfields CA1‐4 and in some granular neurons of the stratum granulosum. The overall intensity of the MT 2 staining was distinctly decreased in AD cases. The results indicate that MT 2 may be involved in mediating the effects of melatonin in the human hippocampus, and this mechanism may be heavily impaired in AD.