Abstract: Objective To investigate the age-related changes of MAM-coupled calcium signal transduction related proteins in mice hippocampus. Methods Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of MAM calcium signal transduction-related proteins (GRP75, IP3R, VDAC1 and Sig-1R) in hippocampus of mice at 2, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months old. Results The expression of IP3R mRNA in the 24 months old group was significantly lower than that in the 2 month old group (P<0.05). GRP75 mRNA and protein expression increased significantly with age (P<0.01, P<0.05). The expression of Sig-1R mRNA and protein in the 24-month-old group was significantly lower than that in the 2-month-old group (P<0.05). Conclusion The expression of mRNA and protein in the hippocampus MAM calcium signal transduction-related proteins GRP75 and Sig-1R are involved in the senescence process.

Key words: Aging, Mitochondrial-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes, Hippocampus, Gene expression