Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Large Type Edition
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]
Author:
 		Keyword(s):
Year:  Vol:  Page: 

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Erickson, R. R.
Right arrow Articles by Holtzman, J. L.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Erickson, R. R.
Right arrow Articles by Holtzman, J. L.
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 61:435-443 (2006)
© 2006 The Gerontological Society of America

The Effect of Aging on the Chaperone Concentrations in the Hepatic, Endoplasmic Reticulum of Male Rats: The Possible Role of Protein Misfolding Due to the Loss of Chaperones in the Decline in Physiological Function Seen With Age

Richard R. Erickson, Lisa M. Dunning and Jordan L. Holtzman

Departments of 1 Pharmacology and 2 Medicine, and 3 Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
4 Research and 5 Medicine Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Address correspondence to Jordan L. Holtzman, MD, PhD, 4710 Girard Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55419. E-mail: holtz003{at}umn.edu

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperones are highly conserved proteins that catalyze the posttranslational processing of all secretory and membrane proteins. Our studies suggest that chaperone declines are one of the two central defects in Alzheimer's disease. We propose that similar declines in other organ systems underlie the physiological deficits of aging. Rats were maintained in a colony from age 21 days to death. Animals were killed at regular intervals, and hepatic, ER chaperone contents were determined by immunoblotting. ERp55, ERp57, ERp72, BiP, and calnexin constitutive levels declined 30%–50% with age. Calreticulin was unaffected. BiP (also known as GRP78), ERp55, and ERp57 showed marked swings with peaks occurring in midwinter and midsummer. This cyclics declined 73% with age. Considering the role of the ER chaperones in membrane and secretory protein posttranslational processing, these data support the concept that their loss could lead to many of the physiological declines associated with aging.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Copyright © 2006 by The Gerontological Society of America.