The Open Geriatric Medicine Journal

2010, 4 : 01-5
Published online 2010 March 12. DOI: 10.2174/1874827901104010001
Publisher ID: TOGERIMJ-4-1

Ribosomal Genes Activity in Aged Down Syndrome Subjects

Alaíde. Gonçalves, , Yara Regina Bianchini Ávalos , Elizabeth Suchi Chen , Bianca Borsatto-Galera , Roger William De Lábio , Spencer Luiz Marques Payão , Marília de Arruda Marília de Arruda and Tiffany C. Sandoval
Disciplina de Genética – Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, UNIFESP/EPM, Rua Botucatu, 740 – Vila Clementino, CEP: 04023-900, São Paulo, SP, Brasil

ABSTRACT

Objective:

We aimed to investigate whether rRNA 28S/18S levels decrease with aging in Down Syndrome (DS) individuals and whether these decreased levels are tissue-specific

Methods:

We investigated mature rRNA 28S/18S levels by Northern Blotting in blood cells from 21 younger and 21 older DS individuals in comparison to 42 age-sex-matched controls. We also investigated these levels in oral mucosa and in blood cells from the same DS individuals.

Results:

All DS subjects showed no clinical signs of dementia at the time of the study. We did not detect differences in rRNA 28S/18S levels among DS and control groups concerning either aging process or cell types.

Conclusions:

Aging process in DS individuals was not characterized by reduced rDNA transcriptional activity and did not indicate a preclinical marker of AD in older DS subjects.

Keywords:

Down´s syndrome, Trisomy 21, Ageing, Ribosomal Genes Expression, rRNA.