Age-dependent changes in the gene expression profile of mice over-expressing mutant APP, PS1 and phosphorilated tau

In this study, using a microarray approach, we investigated the age-dependent changes in the gene expression profile of hippocampi obtained from young and old 3xTg-AD and WT control mice, in order to identify the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of AD and assess the role of aging in the development of the disease. A global gene expression profile in the hippocampi obtained from 3xTgAD (expressing mutant human APP, PS1, and tau) and WT mice at 3 and 12 months of age was studied by employing a Mouse OneArray Whole Genome DNA microarray. Data were analyzed with the Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) in order to achieve a classification of the results on the basis of their biological functions and disclose functional networks and/or pathways. In this study we performed gene expression profiles for a total of 9 experiments. Hippocampi were collected from 2 3xTG and 2 WT mice at 3 months of age and from 2 3xTG and 2 WT mice at 12 months of age. Three MicroArray experiments were performed for each condition (WT 12 moa versus WT 3 moa; 3xTG 3 moa versus WT 3 moa; 3xTG 12 moa versus WT 12moa). On the total of 9 experiments 6 were biological replicates and 3 were technical replicates.