Upregulation of beta catenin in superior frontal cortex of chronic alcoholics


Autoria(s): Al-Housseini, A.M.; Dodd, P. R.; Gu, Q.
Data(s)

01/01/2005

Resumo

Chronic alcohol abuse causes neurotoxicity and the development of tolerance and dependence. At the molecular level, however, knowledge about mechanisms underlying alcoholism remains limited. In this study we examined the superior frontal cortex, one of the most vulnerable brain regions, of alcoholics and of age- and gender-matched control subjects by means of antibody microarrays and Western blot analyses, and identified an up-regulation of beta-catenin level in the superior frontal cortex of alcoholics. Beta-catenin is the orthologue of the Drosophila armadillo segment polarity gene and a down stream component of the Wnt and Akt signaling pathway. Beta-catenin was identified as a cell adhesion molecule of the cadherin family which binds to the actin cytoskeleton. Genetic and biochemical analyses also found that beta-catenin can be translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and acts as a transcription factor. In addition, electron microscopy performed on rat brain tissue sections has localized the beta-catenin and cadherin complexes to the synapses where they border the active zone. Because of the multi-functional role of beta-catenin in the nervous system, this study provides the premise for further investigation of mechanisms underlying the up-regulation of beta-catenin in alcoholism, which may have considerable pathogenic and therapeutic relevance.

Identificador

http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:102372

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

Society for Neuroscience

Palavras-Chave #Alcoholism #Antibody microarray #Neurotoxicity #Superior frontal cortex #Beta-catenin #EX #730205 Substance abuse #270201 Gene Expression
Tipo

Conference Paper