MicroRNAs expression in the hippocampus of a mouse model for human chromosome 21 trisomy: focus on Alzheimer's Disease

• Grant number: 12/18260-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2012
• End date: May 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Merari de Fátima Ramires Ferrari
• Grantee: Tatiana Bertoni Bacovsky
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (21-25 nucleotides) that regulate protein expression by interacting with mRNAs. These miRNAs are involved in post-transcriptional regulation of a variety of cellular processes including those associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. Patients with Down syndrome present higher risk for Alzheimer's disease than the general population because the extra chromosome (21) holds genes associated to the neurodegenerative disease (APP, BACE2, DYRK1A). In view of this, the objective of the present study is to evaluate the expression of miRNAs associated to Alzheimer's disease in the hippocampus of young adult mice models of human 21 trissomy, males and females, by real time PCR, in order to understand the link between miRNAs and protein aggregation that is a hallmark of neurodegeneration. (AU)