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Effects of Ethanol on Glucose Transporter Expression in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons
Author(s) -
Hu Iris C.,
Singh Sant P.,
Snyder Ann K.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1995.tb00998.x
Subject(s) - glut3 , glut1 , glucose transporter , enolase , western blot , glial fibrillary acidic protein , chemistry , hippocampal formation , biochemistry , glucose uptake , glucose transporter type 1 , neuron , immunocytochemistry , ethanol , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , endocrinology , immunohistochemistry , insulin , immunology , neuroscience , gene
Glucose transport was studied in primary hippocampal neuron cultures exposed to ethanol. Immunofluorescent staining with antibodies against neuron‐specific enolase and glial fibrillary acidic protein identified ∼95% of the cultured cells as neurons. Western blot analysis was conducted with polyclonal antisera to glucose transporter isoforms GLUT1 and GLUT3. As previously seen in astrocytes, GLUT1 protein was regulated by the culture medium glucose content. Exposure to 50 and 100 mM of ethanol for 5 hr induced dose‐dependent reductions in GLUT1 and GLUT3 protein. In contrast, GLUT1 mRNA abundance was increased relative to controls under the same conditions. Glucose uptake, measured with the nonmetabolized analog, 2‐deoxy‐ d ‐glucose, was reduced by 50 and 100 mM of ethanol in four experiments. These results indicate a direct effect of ethanol on neuronal glucose transporter expression, which may play a role in the neurotoxic effects of alcohol.