Effects of β amyloid peptide 25-35 on the expression of p53 and bcl-2 genes in cells of PC12 cell line

Objective: To observe the phenomenon of apoptosis and the change of the expression of p53 and bcl-2 genes induced by β amyloid peptide 25-35 (Aβ 25-35 ) in PC12 cell line. Methods: After the treatment of PC12 cells with different concentrations of Aβ 25-35 (0, 5, 10, 20 μmol/L)for 24h,the MTT assay was used to evaluate the cell survival rate, the Hoechst-PI fluorescence staining and DNA Ladder-agarose gel electrophoresis were used to observe the apoptosis status, and the RT-PCR and western blot were used to detect the expression of p53 and bcl-2 genes at mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Results: In a dose-dependent manner from the low dosage to the high dosage, Aβ 25-35 reduced the survival rate of PC12 cells, induced apoptosis, increased the mRNA and protein levels of p53 gene, and decrease the mRNA and protein levels of bcl-2 gene. Conclusion: Aβ 25-35 might induce the apoptosis of PC12 cells by up-regulating the expression of p53 gene and down-regulating the expression of bcl-2 gene.