Degree
Master of Science
Program
Physiology
Supervisor
Dr. Jane Rylett
Abstract
Expression of human 82-kDa choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) protein in nuclei of cultured neurons from Alzheimer’s disease model APP/PS1 transgenic mice results in a reduction in Aβ release, suggesting a protective role. This thesis characterizes the expression of human 82-kDa ChAT in 82-hChAT;NkCre transgenic mice by PCR-based examination of genomic DNA and localization of the protein in mice brains. First, I demonstrate in a cultured cell model that Cre recombinase-mediated excision of a floxed LacZ gene is necessary for human 82-kDa ChAT protein expression from pcCALL2:82-ChAT, the plasmid used to create founder transgenic mice. Second, I confirmed that human 82-kDa ChAT protein is expressed in the brain of 82-hChAT;NkCre but not 82-hChAT mice. This protein is localized to nuclei of neurons in the basal forebrain and medial cerebral cortex. These findings indicate that we successfully generated transgenic mice that have neuron-specific expression of human 82-kDa ChAT protein in Nkx2.1-Cre driven areas.
Recommended Citation
Vanvaerenbergh, Silke M., "Characterization of Human 82-kDa Choline Acetyltransferase expression in a newly developed Transgenic Mouse Model" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2193.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2193