Modulation of acetylation of histones and transcription of chromatin by butyric acid and 17β-estradiol in the brain of rats of various ages

Abstract

The effects of butyric acid and 17β-estradiol on invitro acetylation of histones and transcription of nuclei of cerebral cortex were studied in female rats of various ages. Incorporation of UMP into RNA of acetylated nuclei is higher than that of normal. The template activity of nuclear DNA of normal and acetylated nuclei decreases with increasing age of the rat. The decrease is correlated with the decline in acetylation of histones. Both butyric acid and estradiol stimulate transcription in young and adult rats. Butyric acid, unlike estradiol, shows marked stimulatory effect in the young. However, these modulators have no significant effect in old age. Such age-related transcriptional modifications of the chromatin of rat brain brought about by different effectors may be responsible for a gradual decline in the functional activity of the organism and lead to aging.