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Region‐specific dysregulation of glycogen synthase kinase‐3β and β‐catenin in the postmortem brains of subjects with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
Author(s) -
Pandey Ghanshyam N,
Rizavi Hooriyah S,
Tripathi Madhulika,
Ren Xinguo
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
bipolar disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.285
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1399-5618
pISSN - 1398-5647
DOI - 10.1111/bdi.12228
Subject(s) - gsk 3 , gsk3b , bipolar disorder , dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , wnt signaling pathway , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , prefrontal cortex , anterior cingulate cortex , medicine , glycogen synthase , endocrinology , pathophysiology , cav1.2 , signal transduction , psychology , neuroscience , biology , psychiatry , microbiology and biotechnology , cognition , glycogen , calcium channel , calcium , lithium (medication)
Objectives There is both direct and indirect evidence suggesting abnormalities of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)‐3β and β‐catenin, two important components of the Wingless‐type (Wnt) signaling pathway, in the pathophysiology of bipolar illness and possibly schizophrenia ( SZ ). In order to further clarify the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder ( BP ) and SZ , we studied GSK ‐3β and β‐catenin in the postmortem brains of subjects with these disorders. Methods We determined the protein expression of GSK‐3β, phosphorylated form at serine 9 position (pGSK‐3‐ser‐9), and β‐catenin using the western blot technique, and mRNA using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction ( qPCR ) method, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), cingulate gyrus (CG), and temporal cortex (TEMP) obtained from 19 subjects with BP, 20 subjects with SZ, and 20 normal control (NC) subjects. Results We found that the protein expression of GSK‐3β, pGSK ‐3β‐ser‐9, and β‐catenin was significantly decreased in the DLPFC and TEMP, but not in the CG, of subjects with BP compared with NC subjects. The mRNA expression of GSK‐3β and β‐catenin was significantly decreased in the DLPFC and TEMP, but not in the CG, of subjects with BP compared with NC subjects. There were no significant differences in the protein or mRNA expression of GSK‐3β, pGSK ‐3β‐ser‐9, or β‐catenin between subjects with SZ and NC subjects in any of the brain areas studied. Conclusions These studies show region‐specific abnormalities of both protein and mRNA expression of GSK‐3β and β‐catenin in postmortem brains of subjects with BP but not subjects with SZ. Thus, abnormalities of the Wnt signaling pathway may be associated with the pathophysiology of bipolar illness.