The methylation status of cytosines in a τ gene promoter region alters with age to downregulate transcriptional activity in human cerebral cortex

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 1999-11, Vol.275 (2), p.89-92
• Main Authors: TOHGI, H, UTSUGISAWA, K, NAGANE, Y, YOSHIMURA, M, UKITSU, M, GENDA, Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging - metabolism; Autopsy; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral Cortex - metabolism; cytosine; Cytosine - metabolism; Development. Senescence. Regeneration. Transplantation; DNA Methylation; Down-Regulation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Sequence Analysis, DNA; tau Proteins - genetics; tau Proteins - metabolism; Transcription, Genetic; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00731-4

Changes with age in the methylation status of cytosines in a promoter region of the tau gene were investigated in autopsy human cerebral cortex, using the bisulfite method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing of PCR products. While the total number of methylcytosines decreased with age, the changes in methylation status differed among transcription factor binding sites. Cytosines in the AP2-binding sites were never methylated in any of the cases studied at any age. Methylcytosines in the binding sites for Sp1, a transcriptional activator, significantly increased with age, whereas those in the binding sites for GCF, a repressor of GC-rich promoters, significantly decreased with age. These findings suggest that the methylation status of cytosines in the promoter region of the tau gene alters with age to decrease its transcriptional activity in the human cerebral cortex.