Differential expression of 14 genes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spinal cord detected using gridded cDNA arrays

• Published in: Journal of neurochemistry 2001-04, Vol.77 (1), p.132-145
• Main Authors: Malaspina, Andrea, Kaushik, Narendra, De Belleroche, Jackie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - genetics; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - metabolism; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - pathology; Biological and medical sciences; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Down-Regulation; Expressed Sequence Tags; Female; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein - genetics; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein - metabolism; high‐density cDNA arrays; Humans; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; mRNA expression; Neurology; Nucleic Acid Hybridization - methods; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A - genetics; Progranulins; Protein-Lysine 6-Oxidase - genetics; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; spinal cord; Spinal Cord - metabolism; Spinal Cord - pathology; thioredoxin; Thioredoxins - genetics; Thioredoxins - metabolism; Tubulin - genetics; Up-Regulation; Viral Proteins - genetics; Viral Proteins - metabolism
• ISSN: 0022-3042; 1471-4159
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2001.00231.x

In order to obtain insight into the aetiology and pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), high‐density gene discovery arrays (GDA human version 1.2) containing 18 400 non‐redundant EST cDNAs pooled from different tissue libraries have been used to monitor gene expression in lumbar spinal cord from ALS cases compared with controls. Quantitative filter analysis revealed differential expression of cDNAs normalized to internal standards. These candidates have been further investigated and their expression in spinal cord characterized in a panel of ALS and control subjects. Significant differential expression was obtained for 14 genes, 13 being elevated (up to six‐fold) and one decreased (by 80%) in ALS. Amongst those elevated in ALS were thioredoxin and glial fibrilary acid protein, which have already been shown to be up‐regulated in ALS, thus supporting the reliability of this approach. The other differentially regulated transcripts confirmed in the expression studies represent potential candidates in ALS pathogenesis being involved in antioxidant systems, neuroinflammation, the regulation of motor neurone function, lipid metabolism, protease inhibition and protection against apoptosis. The use of the GDA system has greatly facilitated the screening and retrieval of sequence information and has generated useful information on the cascade of molecular events occurring in ALS and potentially may highlight new candidates playing a role in the aetiology and progression of this disease.