Acute stress increases the risk for neurodegeneration, but the molecular signals regulating the shift from transient stress responses to progressive disease are not yet known. The “read-through” variant of acetylcholinesterase (AChE-R) accumulates in the mammalian brain under acute stress. Therefore, markers of neurodeterioration were examined in transgenic mice overexpressing either AChE-R or the “synaptic” AChE variant, AChE-S. Several observations demonstrate that excess AChE-R attenuates, whereas AChE-S intensifies, neurodeterioration. In the somatosensory cortex, AChE-S transgenics, but not AChE-R or control FVB/N mice, displayed a high density of curled neuronal processes indicative of hyperexcitation. In the hippocampus, AChE-S and control mice, but not AChE-R transgenics, presented progressive accumulation of clustered, heat shock protein 70-immunopositive neuronal fragments and displayed a high incidence of reactive astrocytes. Our findings suggest that AChE-R serves as a modulator that may play a role in preventing the shift from transient, acute stress to progressive neurological disease.
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Home » Publications » Excess “read-through” acetylcholinesterase attenuates but the “synaptic” variant intensifies neurodeterioration correlates
Excess “read-through” acetylcholinesterase attenuates but the “synaptic” variant intensifies neurodeterioration correlates
Authors: Sternfeld M, Shoham S, Klein O, Flores-Flores C, Evron T, Idelson GH, Kitsberg D, Patrick JW, Soreq H.
Year of publication: 2000
Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Jul 18;97(15):8647-52.
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