Development- and age-related alterations in the expression of AMPA receptor subunit GluR2 and its trafficking proteins in the hippocampus of male mouse brain

AMPA type glutamate receptor (AMPAR) on the post synaptic membrane plays important role in the process of synaptic plasticity involving various scaffolding and trafficking proteins. However, their alterations during development- and aging are not well understood. Here, we report that the expression of AMPAR-GluR2 subunit is gradually up regulated in the hippocampus from 0 day to adult (20 week) and down regulated thereafter in 70 week old male mice. This pattern of GluR2 during development (0-, 7- and 15 day), maturation (45 day) and adult age resembles with similar expression pattern of the scaffolding protein PSD95. Expression pattern of Stargazin (TARP gamma-2) largely follows almost similar pattern up to adult age but is up regulated in old age. Pattern of PICK1 expression, however, is opposite to our GluR2 data till adult age but its expression is significantly down regulated in old age. Our data on alterations in the expression of GluR2 in the hippocampus during development and aging indicates a high- and low positive correlations with PSD95 and Stargazin, respectively whereas negative correlation with PICK1 except in old age where expression of Stargazin is higher and that of PICK1 is lower. Our findings suggest that increasing expression pattern of GluR2 during developmental periods and at adult age may be associated with achieving cognitive abilities whereas its low expression in old age may be linked with cognitive decline and proteins like PSD95, Stargazin and PICK1 might be differentially associated with development- and age-dependent alterations in AMPAR-dependent synaptic plasticity and hence learning and memory.