Abstract
Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease. We sought to determine whether peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) would have a beneficial effect on this disease. Methods: PGC-1α transgenic mice were crossed with SOD1 mutant G93A DL mice. Results: We observed a moderate but non-significant increase in average lifespan in PGC-1α/ G93A DL mice, as compared with G93A DL mice (292 6 3 days vs. 274 6 7 days). Although the onset of ALS was not altered, progression of the disease was significantly slower (~34% increase in duration) in the PGC-1α /G93A DL mice. These mice also exhibited markedly improved performance on the rotarod test, and the improved motor activity was associated with a decreased loss of motor neurons and less degeneration of neuromuscular junctions. Conclusion: A sustained level of excitatory amino acid transporter protein 2 (EAAT2) in astrocytes of the PGC-1α /G93A DL mice may contribute to neuronal protection.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 947-956 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Muscle and Nerve |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2011 |
Keywords
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Excitatory amino acid transporter protein 2 (EAAT2)
- Motor neuron
- Neuromuscular junction
- PGC-1α transgenic mice
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology
- Clinical Neurology
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Physiology (medical)