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Lithium Ions Enhance Cysteine String Protein Gene Expression In Vivo and In Vitro
Author(s) -
Cordeiro Mara L.,
Umbach Joy A.,
Gundersen Cameron B.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2000.0742365.x
Subject(s) - synaptophysin , lithium (medication) , in vivo , in vitro , gene expression , chemistry , cell culture , microbiology and biotechnology , mechanism of action , pharmacology , medicine , biology , gene , endocrinology , biochemistry , immunohistochemistry , genetics
Lithium is a well established pharmacotherapy for the treatment of recurrent manic‐depressive illness. However, the mechanism by which lithium exerts its therapeutic action remains elusive. Here we report that lithium at 1 m M significantly increased the expression of cysteine string proteins (CSPs) in a pheochromocytoma cell line (PC12 cells) differentiated by nerve growth factor. These cells concomitantly exhibited increased expression of CSPs in their cell bodies and boutons. Enhanced CSP expression was also observed in the brain of rats fed a lithium‐containing diet, which elevated serum lithium to a therapeutically relevant concentration of ∼1.0 m M . However, both in vitro and in vivo, the expression of another synaptic vesicle protein, synaptophysin, and the t‐SNARE, synaptosomal‐associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP‐25), was not significantly altered by lithium. These observations indicate that lithium‐induced changes of CSP gene expression may contribute to the therapeutic efficacy of this monovalent cation.