AUTHOR=Fu Sherleen , Jiang Wendy , Zheng Wei TITLE=Age-dependent increase of brain copper levels and expressions of copper regulatory proteins in the subventricular zone and choroid plexus JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience VOLUME=8 YEAR=2015 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2015.00022 DOI=10.3389/fnmol.2015.00022 ISSN=1662-5099 ABSTRACT=
Our recent data suggest a high accumulation of copper (Cu) in the subventricular zone (SVZ) along the wall of brain ventricles. Anatomically, SVZ is in direct contact with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is secreted by a neighboring tissue choroid plexus (CP). Changes in Cu regulatory gene expressions in the SVZ and CP as the function of aging may determine Cu levels in the CSF and SVZ. This study was designed to investigate the associations between age, Cu levels, and Cu regulatory genes in SVZ and plexus. The SVZ and CP were dissected from brains of 3-week, 10-week, or 9-month old male rats. Analyses by atomic absorption spectroscopy revealed that the SVZ of adult and old animals contained the highest Cu level compared with other tested brain regions. Significantly positive correlations between age and Cu levels in SVZ and plexus were observed; the SVZ Cu level of old animals was 7.5- and 5.8-fold higher than those of young and adult rats (