Sexually dimorphic expression of reelin in the brain of a mouse model of Alzheimer disease
Recent evidence highlights the protective role of reelin against amyloid ? (A?)-induced synaptic dysfunction and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease (AD). In this study, exploiting TgCRND8 mice that overexpress a mutant form of amyloid ? precursor protein (A?PP) and display an early onset of AD neuropathological signs, we addressed the question whether changes of reelin expression eventually precede the appearance of A?-plaques in a sex-dependent manner. We show that sex-associated and brain region-specific differences in reelin expression appear long before A?- plaque formation. However, in spite of a downregulation of reelin expression compared to males, TgCRND8 females display fewer A?-plaques, suggesting that additional factors, other than sex and reelin level, influence amyloidosis in this mouse model.