Anatomical distribution of histone H3 acetylation in human hippocampus

Abstract

In recent years, the role of histone acetylation in the brain has been studied from different aspects. However, the anatomical distribution of histone H3 acetylation in the human hippocampus and its potential relevance to triple synaptic circuits are unknown. As one of epigenetic remodeling ways, the modification of histones is involved in multiple aspects of neuronal function and development and is a key process in the onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In our study, we compared acetylation levels of histone H3 at different regions of the hippocampus in AD and non-AD patients. We found that histone H3 acetylation can be detected in the dentate gyrus (DG), CA4, CA3, CA2, CA1, and lower Toya regions of the human hippocampus. The highest degree of acetylation in the hippocampus is in DG, and the level of acetylation changes gradually and systematically along the triple synaptic circuit. Besides, there were no significant differences in histone acetylation between AD and non-AD groups.