Analysis of hippocampal gene expression profile of Alzheimer's disease model rats using genome chip bioinformatics☆

In this study, an Alzheimer's disease model was established in rats through stereotactic injection of condensed amyloid beta 1–40 into the bilateral hippocampus, and the changes of gene expression profile in the hippocampus of rat models and sham-operated rats were compared by genome expression profiling analysis. Results showed that the expression of 50 genes was significantly up-regulated (fold change ≥ 2), while 21 genes were significantly down-regulated in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease model rats (fold change ≤ 0.5) compared with the sham-operation group. The differentially expressed genes are involved in many functions, such as brain nerve system development, neuronal differentiation and functional regulation, cellular growth, differentiation and apoptosis, synaptogenesis and plasticity, inflammatory and immune responses, ion channels/transporters, signal transduction, cell material/energy metabolism. Our findings indicate that several genes were abnormally expressed in the metabolic and signal transduction pathways in the hippocampus of amyloid beta 1–40-induced rat model of Alzheimer's disease, thereby affecting the hippocampal and brain functions.