Morphological and functional abnormalities of hippocampus in APC ^1638T/1638T mice

In the present study, we examined morphology and function of hippocampus in the APC^1638T/1638T mouse. Expression levels of the APC mRNA and protein were both identical in the hippocampus of the APC^+/+ and APC^1638T/1638T mice. The dentate gyrus of the APC^1638T/1638T hippocampus was thicker, and has more densely-populated granule cells in the APC^1638T/1638T mouse hippocampus. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed co-localization of APC with alpha-amino-3- hydroxy-5-methyl- isoxazole-4-propionate receptor (AMPA-R) and with PSD-95 at post-synapse in the APC^+/+ hippocampus, while APC1638T was co-localized with neither AMPA-R nor PSD-95 in the APC^1638T/1638T hippocampus. By immunoprecipitation assay, full-length APC expressed in the APC^+/+ mouse was co-immunoprecipitated with AMPA-R and PSD-95. In contrast, APC1638T expressed in the APC^1638T/1638T mouse was not co-immunoprecipitated with AMPA-R and PSD-95. In the hippocampal CA1 region of the APC^1638T/1638T mouse, c-Fos expression after electric foot shock was decreased compared with the APC^+/+ mouse. The present study showed some abnormalities on morphology of the hippocampus caused by a truncated APC (APC1638T). Also, our findings suggest that failure in APC binding to AMPA-R and PSD-95 may bring about less activities of hippocampal neurons in the APC^1638T/1638T mouse.