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Sánchez Triviño CA, Landinez MP, Duran S, Gomez MDP, Nasi E. Modulation of Gq/PLC-Mediated Signaling by Acute Lithium Exposure. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:838939. [PMID: 35242014 PMCID: PMC8885521 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.838939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although lithium has long been one of the most widely used pharmacological agents in psychiatry, its mechanisms of action at the cellular and molecular levels remain poorly understood. One of the targets of Li+ is the phosphoinositide pathway, but whereas the impact of Li+ on inositol lipid metabolism is well documented, information on physiological effects at the cellular level is lacking. We examined in two mammalian cell lines the effect of acute Li+ exposure on the mobilization of internal Ca2+ and phospholipase C (PLC)-dependent membrane conductances. We first corroborated by Western blots and immunofluorescence in HEK293 cells the presence of key signaling elements of a muscarinic PLC pathway (M1AchR, Gq, PLC-β1, and IP3Rs). Stimulation with carbachol evoked a dose-dependent mobilization of Ca, as determined with fluorescent indicators. This was due to release from internal stores and proved susceptible to the PLC antagonist U73122. Li+ exposure reproducibly potentiated the Ca response in a concentration-dependent manner extending to the low millimolar range. To broaden those observations to a neuronal context and probe potential Li modulation of electrical signaling, we next examined the cell line SHsy5y. We replicated the potentiating effects of Li on the mobilization of internal Ca, and, after characterizing the basic properties of the electrical response to cholinergic stimulation, we also demonstrated an equally robust upregulation of muscarinic membrane currents. Finally, by directly stimulating the signaling pathway at different links downstream of the receptor, the site of action of the observed Li effects could be narrowed down to the G protein and its interaction with PLC-β. These observations document a modulation of Gq/PLC/IP3-mediated signaling by acute exposure to lithium, reflected in distinct physiological changes in cellular responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar Adolfo Sánchez Triviño
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Física, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Maria Paula Landinez
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Física, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Sara Duran
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Física, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - María Del Pilar Gomez
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Enrico Nasi
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
- Instituto de Genética, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
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Antoniadou I, Kouskou M, Arsiwala T, Singh N, Vasudevan SR, Fowler T, Cadirci E, Churchill GC, Sharp T. Ebselen has lithium-like effects on central 5-HT 2A receptor function. Br J Pharmacol 2018; 175:2599-2610. [PMID: 29488218 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Lithium's antidepressant action may be mediated by inhibition of inositol monophosphatase (IMPase), a key enzyme in Gq -protein coupled receptor signalling. Recently, the antioxidant agent ebselen was identified as an IMPase inhibitor. Here, we investigated both ebselen and lithium in models of the 5-HT2A receptor, a Gq -protein coupled receptor involved in lithium's actions. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH 5-HT2A receptor function was assessed in mice by measuring the behavioural (head-twitches, ear scratches) and molecular (cortical immediate early gene [IEG] mRNA; Arc, c-fos, Egr2) responses to 5-HT2A receptor agonists. Ebselen and lithium were administered either acutely or repeatedly prior to assessment of 5-HT2A receptor function. Because lithium and 5-HT2A receptor antagonists augment the action of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), ebselen was tested for this activity by co-administration with the SSRI citalopram in microdialysis (extracellular 5-HT) experiments. KEY RESULTS Acute and repeated administration of ebselen inhibited behavioural and IEG responses to the 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI. Repeated lithium also inhibited DOI-evoked behavioural and IEG responses. In comparison, a selective IMPase inhibitor (L-690330) attenuated the behavioural response to DOI whereas glycogen synthase kinase inhibitor (AR-A014418) did not. Finally, ebselen enhanced the increase in extracellular 5-HT induced by citalopram, and also increased regional brain 5-HT synthesis. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our data demonstrated lithium-mimetic effects of ebselen in different experimental models of 5-HT2A receptor function, probably mediated by IMPase inhibition. This evidence of lithium-like neuropharmacological effects of ebselen adds further support for the clinical testing of ebselen in mood disorders, including as an antidepressant augmenting agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Antoniadou
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Pharmacy, European University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - M Kouskou
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - T Arsiwala
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - N Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - S R Vasudevan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - T Fowler
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - E Cadirci
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - G C Churchill
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - T Sharp
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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POSTER COMMUNICATIONS. Br J Pharmacol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1989.tb16584.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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Synaptic polarity depends on phosphatidylinositol signaling regulated by myo-inositol monophosphatase in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2012; 191:509-21. [PMID: 22446320 PMCID: PMC3374314 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.111.137844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Although neurons are highly polarized, how neuronal polarity is generated remains poorly understood. An evolutionarily conserved inositol-producing enzyme myo-inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) is essential for polarized localization of synaptic molecules in Caenorhabditis elegans and can be inhibited by lithium, a drug for bipolar disorder. The synaptic defect of IMPase mutants causes defects in sensory behaviors including thermotaxis. Here we show that the abnormalities of IMPase mutants can be suppressed by mutations in two enzymes, phospholipase Cβ or synaptojanin, which presumably reduce the level of membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). We also found that mutations in phospholipase Cβ conferred resistance to lithium treatment. Our results suggest that reduction of PIP2 on plasma membrane is a major cause of abnormal synaptic polarity in IMPase mutants and provide the first in vivo evidence that lithium impairs neuronal PIP2 synthesis through inhibition of IMPase. We propose that the PIP2 signaling regulated by IMPase plays a novel and fundamental role in the synaptic polarity.
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Silverstone PH, McGrath BM. Lithium and valproate and their possible effects on themyo-inositol second messenger system in healthy volunteers and bipolar patients. Int Rev Psychiatry 2010; 21:414-23. [PMID: 20374155 DOI: 10.1080/09540260902962214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Over 25 years ago it was suggested that the mechanism by which lithium was clinically effective may be due to a stabilizing effect on the phosphoinositol second messenger system (PI-cycle), which has multiple effects within cells. It was proposed that lithium, which is an inhibitor of one of the key enzymes in the PI-cycle, acted to lower myo-inositol concentrations; termed the 'inositol-depletion hypothesis'. Initial animal evidence supported this hypothesis, and also suggested that it was possible that sodium valproate could affect the PI-cycle. Since the first magnetic resonance studies in this area in the early 1990s many studies have examined various aspects of this hypothesis in both healthy volunteers and patients utilizing magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The present review considers research in this area and concludes that, despite initial promise, current evidence suggests that it is unlikely that either lithium or valproate produce clinically relevant changes in myo-inositol concentrations or the PI-cycle. These findings do not suggest that lithium-induced changes in the PI-cycle are the primary mechanism by which lithium or valproate exert their beneficial clinical effects in bipolar disorder. Nonetheless, given the current technical and clinical limitations of the literature to date, this conclusion cannot be considered completely definitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter H Silverstone
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2B7.
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Chadha VD, Bhalla P, Dhawan D. Uptake and retention of 65Zn in lithium-treated rat liver: role of zinc. Dig Liver Dis 2010; 42:446-50. [PMID: 19766547 DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2009.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2009] [Revised: 07/28/2009] [Accepted: 07/31/2009] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
AIM To evaluate the effects of zinc on the biokinetics of (65)Zn in rat and its distribution in various organs and in subcellular compartment following lithium therapy. METHODS Female wistar rats received either lithium treatment at a dose of 1.1g/kg in diet, zinc alone at a dose of 227 mg/L in drinking water, and combined lithium plus zinc for duration of four months. RESULTS After four months of lithium treatment, liver enzymes increased significantly (glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, +66.73%; glutamic pyruvic transaminase, +63.70%; alkaline phosphatase, +40.28%; p< or =0.001); zinc supplementation to lithium-treated rats significantly reduced liver enzymes (glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, -13.11%; glutamic pyruvic transaminase, -21.78%; alkaline phosphatase, -11.77%; p< or =0.001). The biological half-lives of (65)Zn showed an initial fast component (Tb(1)) and a slower component (Tb(2)). A significant increase in Tb(2) (38.82%, p< or =0.001) in liver was observed following lithium treatment, which significantly decreased following zinc treatment (21.71%, p< or =0.001). A significant decrease in the uptake of (65)Zn (53.93%, p< or =0.01) in liver was observed and in nuclear (p< or =0.01), mitochondrial (p< or =0.01), and microsomal (52.67%, p< or =0.001) fractions. A significant increase in the uptake of (65)Zn (82.92%, p< or =0.05) in liver microsomal fraction (34.09%, p< or =0.001) was observed in lithium-treated rats receiving zinc supplementation. CONCLUSION The study suggests that zinc has the potential to regulate the biokinetics of (65)Zn and its subcellular distribution in rat liver following lithium therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayta D Chadha
- Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160 014, India
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Ethylbutyrate, a valproate-like compound, exhibits inositol-depleting effects — A potential mood-stabilizing drug. Life Sci 2009; 84:38-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2008.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2008] [Revised: 10/19/2008] [Accepted: 10/28/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Azab AN, Agam G, Kaplanski J, Delbar V, Greenberg ML. Inositol depletion: a good or bad outcome of valproate treatment? FUTURE NEUROLOGY 2008. [DOI: 10.2217/14796708.3.3.275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Bipolar affective disorder is a severe and chronic disabling illness affecting 1.5% of the general population. Lithium, valproate and other mood stabilizers are used to treat bipolar disorder; however, these are ineffective for, and not tolerated by, a significant percentage of patients, underscoring the urgent need for better medications. Although not universally accepted, the inositol-depletion hypothesis is one of the main hypotheses suggested to explain the therapeutic mechanism of mood-stabilizing drugs. This paper reviews the relevance of the inositol-depletion hypothesis, paying special attention to the inhibition of inositol de novo synthesis by valproate. It also discusses inositol supplementation as a treatment strategy for multiple neurological disorders, including prophylactic use against valproate-induced neural tube defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abed N Azab
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Galila Agam
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Psychiatry Research Unit & Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, PO Box 4600, Beer-Sheva 84170, Israel
| | - Jacob Kaplanski
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Vered Delbar
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Miriam L Greenberg
- Wayne State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
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Kim DW, Hong JW, Eum WS, Choi HS, Choi SH, Kim SY, Lee BR, An JJ, Lee SH, Lee SR, Kwon OS, Kwon HY, Cho SW, Lee KS, Park J, Choi SY. Inactivation of brain myo-inositol monophosphate phosphatase by pyridoxal-5'-phosphate. BMB Rep 2005; 38:58-64. [PMID: 15715947 DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2005.38.1.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Myo-inositol monophosphate phosphatase (IMPP) is a key enzyme in the phosphoinositide cell-signaling system. This study found that incubating the IMPP from a porcine brain with pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) resulted in a time-dependent enzymatic inactivation. Spectral evidence showed that the inactivation proceeds via the formation of a Schiff's base with the amino groups of the enzyme. After the sodium borohydride reduction of the inactivated enzyme, it was observed that 1.8 mol phosphopyridoxyl residues per mole of the enzyme dimer were incorporated. The substrate, myo-inositol-1-phosphate, protected the enzyme against inactivation by PLP. After tryptic digestion of the enzyme modified with PLP, a radioactive peptide absorbing at 210 nm was isolated by reverse-phase HPLC. Amino acid sequencing of the peptide identified a portion of the PLP-binding site as being the region containing the sequence L-Q-V-S-Q-Q-E-D-I-T-X, where X indicates that phenylthiohydantoin amino acid could not be assigned. However, the result of amino acid composition of the peptide indicated that the missing residue could be designated as a phosphopyridoxyl lysine. This suggests that the catalytic function of IMPP is modulated by the binding of PLP to a specific lysyl residue at or near its substrate-binding site of the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae Won Kim
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hallym University, Chunchon 200-702, Korea
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Shaltiel G, Shamir A, Shapiro J, Ding D, Dalton E, Bialer M, Harwood AJ, Belmaker RH, Greenberg ML, Agam G. Valproate decreases inositol biosynthesis. Biol Psychiatry 2004; 56:868-74. [PMID: 15576064 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2004] [Revised: 07/20/2004] [Accepted: 08/28/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lithium and valproate (VPA) are used for treating bipolar disorder. The mechanism of mood stabilization has not been elucidated, but the role of inositol has gained substantial support. Lithium inhibition of inositol monophosphatase, an enzyme required for inositol recycling and de novo synthesis, suggested the hypothesis that lithium depletes brain inositol and attenuates phosphoinositide signaling. Valproate also depletes inositol in yeast, Dictyostelium, and rat neurons. This raised the possibility that the effect is the result of myo-inositol-1-phosphate (MIP) synthase inhibition. METHODS Inositol was measured by gas chromatography. Human prefrontal cortex MIP synthase activity was assayed in crude homogenate. INO1 was assessed by Northern blotting. Growth cones morphology was evaluated in cultured rat neurons. RESULTS We found a 20% in vivo reduction of inositol in mouse frontal cortex after acute VPA administration. As hypothesized, inositol reduction resulted from decreased MIP synthase activity: .21-.28 mmol/LVPA reduced the activity by 50%. Among psychotropic drugs, the effect is specific to VPA. Accordingly, only VPA upregulates the yeast INO1 gene coding for MIP synthase. The VPA derivative N-methyl-2,2,3,3,-tetramethyl-cyclopropane carboxamide reduces MIP synthase activity and has an affect similar to that of VPA on rat neurons, whereas another VPA derivative, valpromide, poorly affects the activity and has no affect on neurons. CONCLUSIONS The rate-limiting step of inositol biosynthesis, catalyzed by MIP synthase, is inhibited by VPA; inositol depletion is a first event shown to be common to lithium and VPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galit Shaltiel
- Stanley Research Center and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Mental Health Center, Beersheva, Israel
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Sun X, Young LT, Wang JF, Grof P, Turecki G, Rouleau GA, Alda M. Identification of lithium-regulated genes in cultured lymphoblasts of lithium responsive subjects with bipolar disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2004; 29:799-804. [PMID: 14735134 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Lithium, a common drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD), requires chronic administration to prevent recurrences of the illness. The necessity for long-term treatment suggests that changes in genes expression are involved in the mechanism of its action. We studied effects of lithium on gene expression in lymphoblasts from BD patients, all excellent responders to lithium prophylaxis. Gene expression was analyzed using cDNA arrays that included a total of 2400 cDNAs. We found that chronic lithium treatment at a therapeutically relevant concentration decreased the expression of seven genes in lymphoblasts from lithium responders. Five of these candidate lithium-regulated genes, including alpha1B-adrenoceptor (alpha1B-AR), acetylcholine receptor protein alpha chain precursor (ACHR), cAMP-dependent 3',5'-cyclic phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D), substance-P receptor (SPR), and ras-related protein RAB7, were verified by Northern blotting analysis in lithium responders. None of these genes were regulated by lithium in healthy control subjects. When we compared the expression of these five genes between bipolar subjects and healthy control subjects at baseline, prior to lithium administration, we found that alpha1B-AR gene expression was higher in bipolar subjects than in healthy control subjects. Our findings indicate that alpha1B-AR may play an important role in the mechanism of action of lithium treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujun Sun
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Abstract
Lithium is an effective drug for both the treatment and prophylaxis of bipolar disorder. However, the precise mechanism of lithium action is not yet well understood. Extensive research aiming to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of lithium has revealed several possible targets. The behavioral and physiological manifestations of the illness are complex and are mediated by a network of interconnected neurotransmitter pathways. Thus, lithium's ability to modulate the release of serotonin at presynaptic sites and modulate receptor-mediated supersensitivity in the brain remains a relevant line of investigation. However, it is at the molecular level that some of the most exciting advances in the understanding of the long-term therapeutic action of lithium will continue in the coming years. The lithium cation possesses the selective ability, at clinically relevant concentrations, to alter the PI second-messenger system, potentially altering the activity and dynamic regulation of receptors that are coupled to this intracellular response. Subtypes of muscarinic receptors in the limbic system may represent particularly sensitive targets in this regard. Likewise, preclinical data have shown that lithium regulates arachidonic acid and the protein kinase C signaling cascades. It also indirectly regulates a number of factors involved in cell survival pathways, including cAMP response element binding protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, bcl-2 and mitogen-activated protein kinases, and may thus bring about delayed long-term beneficial effects via under-appreciated neurotrophic effects. Identification of the molecular targets for lithium in the brain could lead to the elucidation of the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder and the discovery of a new generation of mood stabilizers, which in turn may lead to improvements in the long-term outcome of this devastating illness (1).
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Affiliation(s)
- B Corbella
- 1Clinical Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Vieta
- 1Clinical Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Agam G, Shamir A, Shaltiel G, Greenberg ML. Myo-inositol-1-phosphate (MIP) synthase: a possible new target for antibipolar drugs. Bipolar Disord 2003; 4 Suppl 1:15-20. [PMID: 12479670 DOI: 10.1034/j.1399-5618.4.s1.2.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Inositol metabolism is well characterized in yeast at a molecular level, and yeast is the only eukaryote in which genetic, molecular and functional genomic approaches to identify lithium. valproate and inositol targets may be combined readily. It has been shown that lithium inhibits yeast inositol monophosphatase (encoded by INM1 and INM2), and both valproate and lithium reduce intracellular inositol. Unlike lithium, valproate causes a decrease in intracellular inositol-1-phosphate as well. suggesting that myo-inositol-1-P (MIP) synthase is a site of valproate action in the yeast PI cycle. MIP synthase is the rate-limiting step in inositol biosynthesis and is highly regulated in response to inositol. Yeast genes that are affected by both lithium and valproate in the phosphoinositide pathways (INO1 increased over 10-fold, INO2 increased twofold and INM1 decreased about twofold) have been identified. It has also been reported previously that both lithium and inositol mildly up-regulate IMPA1 (encoding mammalian inositol monophosphatase) expression in human cells. These findings indicate that IMPA is regulated only mildly by lithium, and therefore may not be the major target in the inositol pathway. Given the substantial evidence for the role of inositol in the mechanism of action of lithium and valproate. the opposing and mild effects of lithium on the genes encoding inositol monophosphatase in yeast and human cells, but the powerful effect of lithium and valproate on INO1 in yeast, it is hypothesized that human hIANO1 is a factor in the psychopharmacology of mood stabilizers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galila Agam
- Stanley Foundation Research Center, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Guron University of the Negev, Beersheva Israel
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Abstract
Mood stabilizers represent a class of drugs that are efficacious in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The most established medications in this class are lithium, valproic acid, and carbamazepine. In addition to their therapeutic effects for treatment of acute manic episodes, these medications often are useful as prophylaxis against future episodes and as adjunctive antidepressant medications. While important extracellular effects have not been excluded, most available evidence suggests that the therapeutically relevant targets of this class of medications are in the interior of cells. Herein we give a prospective of a rapidly evolving field, discussing common effects of mood stabilizers as well as effects that are unique to individual medications. Mood stabilizers have been shown to modulate the activity of enzymes, ion channels, arachidonic acid turnover, G protein coupled receptors and intracellular pathways involved in synaptic plasticity and neuroprotection. Understanding the therapeutic targets of mood stabilizers will undoubtedly lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder and to the development of improved therapeutics for the treatment of this disease. Furthermore, the involvement of mood stabilizers in pathways operative in neuroprotection suggests that they may have utility in the treatment of classical neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd D. Gould
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology, Building 49, Room B1EE16, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Guang Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology, Building 49, Room B1EE16, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Husseini K. Manji
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology, Building 49, Room B1EE16, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Silverstone PH, Wu RH, O'Donnell T, Ulrich M, Asghar SJ, Hanstock CC. Chronic treatment with both lithium and sodium valproate may normalize phosphoinositol cycle activity in bipolar patients. Hum Psychopharmacol 2002; 17:321-7. [PMID: 12415549 DOI: 10.1002/hup.420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It has been proposed that lithium may be clinically effective due to its actions on the phosphoinositol second messenger system (PI-cycle). Studies have also suggested that untreated manic patients may have raised myo-inositol and phosphomonoester (PME) concentrations and also that unmedicated euthymic bipolar patients may have lowered PME concentrations. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that chronic treatment with either lithium or sodium valproate in patients with bipolar mood disorder leads to a normalization in the activity of the PI-cycle. METHODS This study had two parts each with different MRS methodology. The first part compared healthy controls (n = 19) with euthymic bipolar patients who were taking either lithium (n = 16) or sodium valproate (n = 11) using both (1)H-MRS and (31)P-MRS. In the second part we examined a separate group of euthymic bipolar disorder patients taking sodium valproate (n = 9) and compared these with age and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 11) using (1)H-MRS. RESULTS Both studies showed that there were no differences in either myo-inositol or phosphomonoester (PME) concentrations between controls and patients taking either medication. CONCLUSIONS These findings examine two key components of the PI-cycle in treated euthymic bipolar (myo-inositol and PME concentrations). The results from this study are consistent with the suggestion that chronic treatment with either lithium or sodium valproate in bipolar patients may normalize PI-cycle functioning.
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Vaden DL, Ding D, Peterson B, Greenberg ML. Lithium and valproate decrease inositol mass and increase expression of the yeast INO1 and INO2 genes for inositol biosynthesis. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:15466-71. [PMID: 11278273 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m004179200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Bipolar affective disorder (manic-depressive illness) is a chronic, severe, debilitating illness affecting 1-2% of the population. The Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs lithium and valproate are not completely effective in the treatment of this disorder, and the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects have not been established. We are employing genetic and molecular approaches to identify common targets of lithium and valproate in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that both drugs affect molecular targets in the inositol metabolic pathway. Lithium and valproate cause a decrease in intracellular myo-inositol mass and an increase in expression of both a structural (INO1) and a regulatory (INO2) gene required for inositol biosynthesis. The opi1 mutant, which exhibits constitutive expression of INO1, is more resistant to inhibition of growth by lithium but not by valproate, suggesting that valproate may inhibit the Ino1p-catalyzed synthesis of inositol 1-phosphate. Consistent with this possibility, growth in valproate leads to decreased synthesis of inositol monophosphate. Thus, both lithium and valproate perturb regulation of the inositol biosynthetic pathway, albeit via different mechanisms. This is the first demonstration of increased expression of genes in the inositol biosynthetic pathway by both lithium and valproate. Because inositol is a key regulator of many cellular processes, the effects of lithium and valproate on inositol synthesis have far-reaching implications for predicting genetic determinants of responsiveness and resistance to these agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Vaden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA
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Tritsaris K, Gromada J, Jørgensen TD, Nauntofte B, Dissing S. Reduction in the rate of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate synthesis in rat parotid acini by lithium. Arch Oral Biol 2001; 46:365-73. [PMID: 11269870 DOI: 10.1016/s0003-9969(00)00109-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Stimulation of muscarinic cholinergic receptors on rat parotid acinar cells causes a rapid production of inositol phosphates, with the key metabolic event being the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate into inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3) and diacylglycerol. Here a high-performance liquid chromatographic technique was used to measure the effects of intracellular lithium ions on the amount of various inositol phosphates produced. When acini were stimulated maximally with acetylcholine (ACh), the sum of all inositol phosphates produced followed a monoexponential function with a production rate constant for Ins(1,4,5)P3 of 0.07 +/- 0.01 solidus/sec. The presence of 23 mM LiCl intracellularly reduced the production rate constant of Ins(1,4,5)P3 induced by ACh to 0.03 +/- 0.01 solidus/sec, resulting in a decrease in the Ins(1,4,5)P3 production as well as in the magnitude of the rise in the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration. The lithium ion (Li+) did not affect the rate of conversion of Ins(1,4,5)P3 to either inositol 1,4-bisphosphate or inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. The rate of the inositol phosphate production after the addition of the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin was unaffected by intracellular Li+ (23 mM), which implies that the action of Li+ was at the muscarinic cholinergic receptor, on G-protein or on the interactions between G-proteins and phospholipase C. Thus, in the early events after receptor stimulation with ACh, Li+ causes a reduction in the concentration of the cellular messengers Ins(1,4,5)P3 and Ca2+.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Tritsaris
- Department of Medical Physiology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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O'Donnell T, Rotzinger S, Nakashima TT, Hanstock CC, Ulrich M, Silverstone PH. Chronic lithium and sodium valproate both decrease the concentration of myo-inositol and increase the concentration of inositol monophosphates in rat brain. Brain Res 2000; 880:84-91. [PMID: 11032992 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(00)02797-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
One of the mechanisms underlying lithium's efficacy as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorder has been proposed to be via its effects on the phosphoinositol cycle (PI-cycle), where it is an inhibitor of the enzyme converting inositol monophosphates to myo-inositol. In contrast, sodium valproate, another commonly used mood stabilizer, appears to have no direct effects on this enzyme and was thus believed to have a different mechanism of action. In the present study, high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to study the chronic effects of both lithium and sodium valproate on the concentrations of myo-inositol and inositol monophosphates in rat brain. As predicted, lithium-treated rats exhibited a significant increase in the concentration of inositol monophosphates and a significant decrease in myo-inositol concentration compared to saline-treated controls. However, unexpectedly, sodium valproate administration produced exactly the same results as lithium administration. These novel findings suggest that both lithium and sodium valproate may share a common mechanism of action in the treatment of bipolar disorder via actions on the PI-cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- T O'Donnell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Alberta, T6G 2B7, Edmonton, Canada
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Murray M, Greenberg ML. Expression of yeast INM1 encoding inositol monophosphatase is regulated by inositol, carbon source and growth stage and is decreased by lithium and valproate. Mol Microbiol 2000; 36:651-61. [PMID: 10844654 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2000.01886.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Inositol monophosphatase plays a vital role in the de novo biosynthesis of inositol and in the phosphoinositide second messenger signalling pathway. We cloned the Saccharomyces cerevisiae open reading frame (ORF) YHR046c (termed INM1), which encodes inositol monophosphatase, characterized the protein Inm1p and analysed expression of the INM1 gene. INM1 was expressed in bacteria under the control of the lacZ promoter. The purified protein has inositol monophosphatase activity that is inhibited by the antibipolar drug lithium, but not valproate. In the inm1Delta:URA3 null mutant, inositol monophosphatase activity was reduced but not eliminated. The disruption had little effect on growth in the presence of lithium or valproate and no effect on growth in the absence of inositol. To characterize the regulation of INM1, we examined the effects of inositol, carbon source, growth phase, and the antibipolar drugs lithium and valproate on INM1 expression using an INM1-lacZ reporter gene. Unlike all other phospholipid biosynthetic enzyme-encoding genes studied, which contain the UASINO regulatory element, INM1 expression is increased in the presence of inositol. In addition, INM1 expression was repressed during growth in glycerol and derepressed as glucose-grown cells entered stationary. Both lithium and valproate, which cause a decrease in intracellular inositol, effect a decrease in INM1 expression. A model is presented to account for regulation of INM1 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Murray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA
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Silverstone PH, Rotzinger S, Pukhovsky A, Hanstock CC. Effects of lithium and amphetamine on inositol metabolism in the human brain as measured by 1H and 31P MRS. Biol Psychiatry 1999; 46:1634-41. [PMID: 10624544 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00076-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The clinical effectiveness of lithium may be due to its decreasing the intracellular concentration of myo-inositol and increasing that of its inositol monophosphate precursors, which is known as the inositol depletion hypothesis. METHODS Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to measure the concentration of both myo-inositol (1H MRS) and phosphomonoesters (PME) [31P MRS], in healthy volunteers in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. MRS measurements were made at baseline, again on the 7th day of lithium (1200 mg, n = 10) or placebo (n = 6) administration, and again on day 8, 2 hours following oral administration of 20 mg dextroamphetamine to stimulate the phosphoinositol (PI) cycle. RESULTS Subjects who received lithium showed a greater increase in PME ratios in response to amphetamine administration than did placebo-treated subjects. CONCLUSIONS The present results support the hypothesis that lithium administration blocks the conversion of inositol monophosphates to myo-inositol, and that this effect is especially apparent following PI cycle stimulation. The effects of lithium treatment on myo-inositol in healthy volunteers in vivo are uncertain, and may have to await improvements in the ability to measure myo-inositol in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- P H Silverstone
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Wang JF, Chen B, Young LT. Identification of a novel lithium regulated gene in rat brain. BRAIN RESEARCH. MOLECULAR BRAIN RESEARCH 1999; 70:66-73. [PMID: 10381544 DOI: 10.1016/s0169-328x(99)00128-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Differential display PCR was used to identify genes regulated by mood stabilizer lithium in rat cerebral cortex. A differentially displayed lithium regulated gene fragment was isolated in rat cerebral cortex after chronic treatment with lithium (1.69 g/kg, p.o. ) for three weeks. A 1216-nucleotide cDNA for a novel lithium regulated gene (NLRG) was isolated from a rat brain cDNA library with RACE (rapid amplification of 5' cDNA end) PCR using a prime from the differentially displayed NLRG gene fragment. The deduced protein sequence was 321 amino acids long, and shows a significant homology with yeast nitrogen permease regulator 2 (NPR2). NLRG expression induced by lithium was confirmed by Northern and slot blot analysis in rat cerebral cortex and neuroblastomaxglioma NG108-15 cells, respectively. In situ hybridization revealed that chronic treatment with lithium increased NLRG gene expression in frontal cortex and hippocampus, but not in striatum, hypothalamus and thalamus regions of rat brain. These results suggest a novel target for lithium which may be relevant to its mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Room 4N77A, 1200 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Ghaemi SN, Boiman EE, Goodwin FK. Kindling and second messengers: an approach to the neurobiology of recurrence in bipolar disorder. Biol Psychiatry 1999; 45:137-44. [PMID: 9951560 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(98)00256-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Since bipolar disorder is inherently a longitudinal illness characterized by recurrence and cycling of mood episodes, neurobiological theories involving kindlinglike phenomena appear to possess a certain explanatory power. An approach to understanding kindlinglike phenomena at the molecular level has been made possible by advances in research on second-messenger systems in the brain. The time frame of interest has shifted from the microseconds of presynaptic events to hours, days, months, and even years in the longer duration of events beyond the synapse--through second messengers, gene regulation, and synthesis of long-acting trophic factors. These complex interlocking systems may explain how environmental stress could interact over time with genetic vulnerability to produce illness. In its two sections, this paper will review an approach to understanding two major aspects of the neurobiology of bipolar disorder: kindling phenomena and second-messenger mechanisms. We will suggest that these two fields of research together help explain the biology of recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- S N Ghaemi
- Psychopharmacology Research Center, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
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Mørk A. Effects of lithium treatment on extracellular serotonin levels in the dorsal hippocampus and wet-dog shakes in the rat. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 1998; 8:267-72. [PMID: 9928915 DOI: 10.1016/s0924-977x(97)00085-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In the present study wet-dog shakes in rats were induced by local potassium (K+) depolarization in the dorsal hippocampus. Concurrently, changes in extracellular concentrations of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and serotonin (5-HT) were assessed by microdialysis. It has been well-established that lithium influences the synthesis of cAMP in the brain via effects on adenylate cyclases. In this study, the effect of chronic lithium treatment on the number of wet-dog shakes and the release of 5-HT was investigated. Wet-dog shakes, formation of cAMP and release of 5-HT were induced by perfusing a Ringer solution containing 60 mM K+ through the microdialysis probe for 20 min. Under some conditions, this high K+ solution also contained 20 microM forskolin. The number of wet-dog shakes and the formation of cAMP induced by K+ depolarization were enhanced by forskolin, while the K+ -stimulated release of 5-HT was unaffected by forskolin. Chronic lithium treatment, yielding a plasma lithium level of 0.78+/-0.09 mmol/l, decreased the number of wet-dog shakes but did not affect the extracellular level of 5-HT in the dorsal hippocampus. Chronic lithium treatment may affect the serotonergic wet-dog shake syndrome in the rat partly via the cAMP signalling system but does not seem to influence this syndrome by changing the release of 5-HT from nerve terminals in the dorsal hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Mørk
- Department of Pharmacology, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Moorman JM, Leslie RA. Paradoxical effects of lithium on serotonergic receptor function: an immunocytochemical, behavioural and autoradiographic study. Neuropharmacology 1998; 37:357-74. [PMID: 9681934 DOI: 10.1016/s0028-3908(98)00024-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Lithium is the preferred treatment for bipolar affective disorder, yet its mechanism of action is poorly understood. Our study was designed to investigate the effect of lithium on the 5-HT2A or 5-HT2C (5-HT2A/2C) receptor subtypes, by comparing the consequences of chronic pre-treatment of rats with lithium on 5-HT2A/2C receptor-mediated behavioural responses, Fos expression, and the density of these receptors in the brain. In addition, the time-course and persistence of the effect of chronic lithium on 5-HT2A/2C receptor-mediated Fos expression was examined. Furthermore, the acute action of lithium on Fos expression was also examined. In an investigation of the dose response of Fos to the 5-HT2A/2C agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI), rats received saline or 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24 or 32 mg/kg DOI, then were sacrificed 3 h later for immunocytochemical localisation of Fos. In a chronic lithium study, rats received either control or lithium-containing (0.1% LiCO3) chow for 3 weeks prior to challenge with 8 mg/kg DOI. DOI-induced locomotor activity was measured for 30 min immediately following the drug challenge, then 150 min later, the animals were sacrificed for Fos immunocytochemistry. The brains of another group of rats, also receiving either control or lithium-containing diet for 3 weeks, were analysed for the distribution and density of 5-HT2A receptor binding sites by quantitative [3H]ketanserin autoradiography. One group of chronic lithium treated rats received ritanserin (0.4 mg/kg), a 5-HT2A/2C receptor antagonist, 40 min before DOI challenge and were sacrificed 3 h later for Fos localisation. In the time-course experiment, rats received lithium-containing diet for 3 weeks followed by normal, control diet for 48 h, 1, 2 or 4 weeks prior to DOI or saline challenge. A further group of animals received an injection of LiCl (3 mM/kg) before being challenged with DOI or saline 12, 24, 36 or 48 h later. The dose-response experiment revealed that little Fos-like immunoreactivity was evident above basal levels following administration of 1 mg/kg DOI. However, at all other doses examined, Fos-like immunoreactivity was elevated in a number of brain areas, particularly in cerebral cortex, olfactory tubercle and amygdala. Following 24 mg/kg DOI, the number of Fos-positive nuclei appeared to have reached a plateau level. Treatment of rats with chronic lithium significantly enhanced DOI-induced locomotor activity and Fos-like immunoreactivity throughout the cerebral cortex. This elevation in Fos-like immunoreactivity was completely abolished by prior treatment with ritanserin. In contrast, chronic lithium treatment had no effect on the density of [3H]ketanserin binding to 5-HT2A receptors in any brain region examined. The results of the time-course experiment demonstrated that the enhancing effect of lithium on 5-HT2A/2C receptor-mediated Fos expression was short-lived such that Fos-like immunoreactivity returned to untreated levels within 48 h. In the acute lithium experiment, administration of lithium to rats 12 or 24 h before DOI resulted in a similar elevation of Fos-like immunoreactivity to that seen in chronically treated animals. Administration of acute lithium 36 or 48 h before DOI had no effect. The effects of lithium on 5-HT2A/2C receptor function thus appear to be complex. In particular, the results of this study indicate that the enhancing effects of lithium on DOI-induced locomotor activity and Fos-like immunoreactivity are not accompanied by any alteration in the density of 5-HT2A receptor binding sites. If changes in receptor numbers therefore do not account for the physiological effect of chronic lithium, other explanations must be sought. The study also suggests that the inositol depletion hypothesis of lithium's therapeutic action does not adequately explain the mechanism of action of lithium in man.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Moorman
- SmithKline Beecham Centre for Applied Neuropsychobiology, University Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Oxford University, Radcliffe Infirmary, UK
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Colino A, García-Seoane JJ, Valentín A. Action potential broadening induced by lithium may cause a presynaptic enhancement of excitatory synaptic transmission in neonatal rat hippocampus. Eur J Neurosci 1998; 10:2433-43. [PMID: 9749771 DOI: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.1998.00255.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Lithium enhances excitatory synaptic transmission in CA1 pyramidal cells, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The present study demonstrates that lithium enhances the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor-mediated components of the excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC). Lithium decreased the magnitude of paired-pulse facilitation and presented an inverse correlation between the lithium-induced enhancement of synaptic transmission and initial paired-pulse facilitation, which is consistent with a presynaptic mode of action. The enhancement of synaptic strength is likely to act, at least in part, by increasing the amplitude of the presynaptic Ca2+ transient. One mechanism which could account for this change of the presynaptic Ca2+ transient is an increase in the duration of the action potential. We investigated action potential in hippocampal pyramidal neurons and found that lithium (0.5-6 mM) increased the half-amplitude duration and reduced the rate of repolarization, whereas the rate of depolarization remained similar. To find out whether the lithium synaptic effects might be explained by spike broadening, we investigated the field recording of the excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) in hippocampal slices and found three lines of evidence. First, the prolongation of the presynaptic action potential with 4-aminopyridine and tetraethylammonium blocked or reduced the synaptic effects of lithium. Second, the lithium-induced synaptic enhancement was modulated when presynaptic Ca2+ influx was varied by changing the external Ca2+ concentration. Finally, both effects, the synaptic transmission increment and the action potential broadening, were independent of inositol depletion. These results suggest that lithium enhances synaptic transmission in the hippocampus via a presynaptic site of action: the mechanism underlying the potentiating effect may be attributable to an increased Ca2+ influx consequent to the broadening effect of lithium on the action potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Colino
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid, Spain.
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Dwivedi Y, Pandey GN. Effects of subchronic administration of antidepressants and anxiolytics on levels of the alpha subunits of G proteins in the rat brain. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 1998; 104:747-60. [PMID: 9444573 DOI: 10.1007/bf01291891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of subchronic administration of psychoactive drugs on the alpha subunits of G proteins in the rat brain, and also to determine if different classes of psychoactive drugs share a common property, i.e., of altering levels of these proteins. For this purpose, we selected the psychoactive drugs desipramine and phenelzine (antidepressants), lithium (antimanic), alprazolam and buspirone (anxiolytics), and metachlorophenylpiperazine (anxiogenic). The levels of alpha subunits of G proteins (Gs, Gi 1/2, Gq/11) expressed in cortical, hippocampal, and cerebellar brain regions were studied by the Western blot technique. We observed that subchronic treatment with lithium significantly decreased, and with phenelzine significantly increased levels of Gi 1/2 alpha protein in the cortex and the hippocampus. On the other hand, buspirone significantly decreased levels of Gi 1/2 alpha protein only in the cerebellum. Other psychoactive drugs, however, namely desipramine, meta-chlorophenylpiperazine, and alprazolam, did not alter levels of Gs, Gi 1/2, or Gq/11 alpha proteins in any of the brain regions studied. Since other studies have shown the involvement of G proteins in the mechanism of action of psychoactive drugs, our results demonstrate that expressed protein levels of the alpha subunit of G proteins are not altered by all the psychoactive drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Dwivedi
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
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Valentín A, Garcia-Seoane JJ, Colino A. Lithium enhances synaptic transmission in neonatal rat hippocampus. Neuroscience 1997; 78:385-91. [PMID: 9145795 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(96)00618-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The effects of lithium on excitatory synaptic transmission were studied in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices taken from 14- to 30-day-old rats using extracellular recording techniques. Lithium (2-18 mM) reversibly increased the field excitatory postsynaptic potentials in a concentration-dependent manner. Application of lithium for 6-15 min had no effect on the synaptic input-output function, while application of lithium for 20-35 min shifted this curve to the left. Lithium reversibly increased the amplitude of the presynaptic fibre volley in a concentration- and calcium-dependent manner. Lithium decreased paired-pulse facilitation measured at 50-ms interstimulus intervals. The results indicate that lithium enhances excitatory synaptic transmission in CA1 pyramidal cells by at least two different actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Valentín
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid, Spain
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Manji HK, Potter WZ. Affective Disorders. Neurotherapeutics 1996. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-59259-466-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Kofman O, Levin U. Myo-inositol attenuates the enhancement of the serotonin syndrome by lithium. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 1995; 118:213-8. [PMID: 7617810 DOI: 10.1007/bf02245842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Lithium elicits opposite effects on two behavioural syndromes in rats: enhancement of the 5-HT1A-linked serotonin syndrome and attenuation of the 5-HT2-linked wet dog shakes. The ability of intracerebroventricular (ICV) myo-inositol or forskolin to reverse the enhancement of the serotonin syndrome by lithium was tested in rats that were fed chronic dietary lithium or control diet and injected with the serotonin agonist 5-MeODMT (5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine). Lithium enhanced the total serotonin syndrome score and particularly flat posture and tremor. Inositol, but not forskolin, mitigated the effects of lithium. Inositol was also injected in the lateral ventricle of rats pretreated with chronic dietary lithium or regular rat chow for 3 weeks and injected with carbidopa and L-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Lithium attenuated wet dog shakes, but inositol had no significant effect on lithium-treated or control rats. These findings suggest that the enhancement of the serotonin syndrome by lithium may be related to lithium-induced inositol depletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Kofman
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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Affiliation(s)
- R S Jope
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294
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Manji HK, Lenox RH. Long-term action of lithium: a role for transcriptional and posttranscriptional factors regulated by protein kinase C. Synapse 1994; 16:11-28. [PMID: 8134897 DOI: 10.1002/syn.890160103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Lithium, a simple monovalent cation, represents one of psychiatry's most important treatments and is the most effective treatment for reducing both the frequency and severity of recurrent affective episodes. Despite extensive research, the underlying biologic basis for the therapeutic efficacy this drug remains unknown, and in recent years, research has focused on signal transduction pathways to explain lithium's efficacy in treating both poles of manic-depressive illness. Critical to attributions of therapeutic relevance to any observed biochemical effect, however, is the observation that the characteristic prophylactic action of lithium in stabilizing the profound mood cycling of bipolar disorder requires a lag period for onset and is not immediately reversed upon discontinuation of treatment. Biochemical changes requiring such prolonged administration of a drug suggest alterations at the genomic level but, until recently, little has been known about the transcriptional and posttranscriptional factors regulated by chronic drug treatment, although long-term changes in neuronal synaptic function are known to be dependent upon the selective regulation of gene expression. In this paper, we will present evidence to show that chronic lithium exerts significant transcriptional and posttranscriptional effects, and that these actions of lithium may be mediated via protein kinase C (PKC)-induced alterations in nuclear transcription regulatory factors responsible for modulating the expression of proteins involved in long-term neural plasticity and cellular response. Such target sites for chronic lithium may help unravel the processes by which a simple monovalent cation can produce a long-term stabilization of mood in individuals vulnerable to bipolar illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- H K Manji
- Section on Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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Manji HK, Etcheberrigaray R, Chen G, Olds JL. Lithium decreases membrane-associated protein kinase C in hippocampus: selectivity for the alpha isozyme. J Neurochem 1993; 61:2303-10. [PMID: 8245981 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1993.tb07474.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the effects of lithium on alterations in the amount and distribution of protein kinase C (PKC) in discrete areas of rat brain by using [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate quantitative autoradiography as well as western blotting. Chronic administration of lithium resulted in a significant decrease in membrane-associated PKC in several hippocampal structures, most notably the subiculum and the CA1 region. In contrast, only modest changes in [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding were observed in the various other cortical and subcortical structures examined. Immunoblotting using monoclonal anti-PKC antibodies revealed an isozyme-specific 30% decrease in hippocampal membrane-associated PKC alpha, in the absence of any changes in the labeling of either the beta (I/II) or gamma isozymes. These changes were observed only after chronic (4 week) treatment with lithium, and not after acute (5 days) treatment, suggesting potential clinical relevance. Given the critical role of PKC in regulating neuronal signal transduction, lithium's effects on PKC in the limbic system represent an attractive molecular mechanism for its efficacy in treating both poles of manic-depressive illness. In addition, the decreased hippocampal membrane-associated PKC observed in the present study offers a possible explanation for lithium-induced memory impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- H K Manji
- Section on Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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Li PP, Sibony D, Green MA, Warsh JJ. Lithium modulation of phosphoinositide signaling system in rat cortex: selective effect on phorbol ester binding. J Neurochem 1993; 61:1722-30. [PMID: 8228988 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1993.tb09809.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Recent work indicates that the therapeutic action of lithium may be mediated through perturbation of postreceptor second messenger systems. To elucidate further the postreceptor cellular sites of action(s) of lithium, the effect of chronic lithium treatment on various components of the receptor-activated phosphoinositide pathway was investigated. We found that chronic administration of lithium (0.2% LiCl, 21 days) to adult male rats did not significantly affect phosphoinositide hydrolysis in cerebral cortical slices induced by carbachol (1 mM) or NaF (10 mM). Nor did the same treatment alter the carbachol (1 mM) potentiation of guanosine 5'-(gamma-thio)triphosphate (30 microM) stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis (an index of receptor/G protein coupling) in cortical membranes. Immunoblotting studies revealed no changes in the levels of G alpha q/11 immunoreactivity in the cortex after chronic lithium treatment. The levels of protein kinase C, as revealed by specific binding of [3H]phorbol dibutyrate ([3H]PDBu), were significantly reduced in the cytosolic fraction and increased in the particulate fraction of rat cortex after chronic lithium, whereas the KD of [3H]PDBu binding remained relatively constant. A small and insignificant decrease in the density of [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate binding was also found in the cortex. The above data suggest that chronic lithium treatment affects neither the muscarinic cholinergic-linked phosphoinositide turnover nor the putative G protein alpha subunit (G alpha q/11) responsible for phospholipase C activation. However, a possible translocation and activation of protein kinase C activity may be significant in the therapeutic effect of this mood-stabilizing agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Li
- Section of Biochemical Psychiatry, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Li R, Wing LL, Wyatt RJ, Kirch DG. Effects of haloperidol, lithium, and valproate on phosphoinositide turnover in rat brain. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1993; 46:323-9. [PMID: 8265687 DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(93)90360-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The effects of acute, subacute, and chronic treatment with haloperidol, lithium, and valproate on inositol phosphate (IP) formation were examined. Acute treatment with haloperidol or the combination of haloperidol and lithium significantly reduced IP basal cortical levels. Subacute (three days) treatment with lithium decreased the IP basal level in the frontal cortex. Chronic treatment with haloperidol (14 and 28 days) caused a significant attenuation of carbachol-sensitive IP accumulation in the frontal cortex and striatum and a significant decrease in norepinephrine (NE)-induced IP formation in the frontal cortex (14 and 28 days) and striatum (28 days). Lithium treatment for 14 days produced a significant reduction in the IP basal cortical value, and a significant reduction in cortical carbachol- and NE-induced IP formation was found after 28 days of lithium treatment. The combination of haloperidol and lithium for 28 days decreased the striatal carbachol- and cortical NE-induced IP accumulation and caused a significant increase in NE-sensitive IP formation in the striatum at 14 days. Valproate treatment for 28 days was associated with a significant attenuation in striatal agonist-stimulated IP formation. Therefore, three drugs with different specificities for primary neurotransmitters may have common effects on second-messenger systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Li
- Neuropsychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscience Center at St. Elizabeth's, Washington, DC 20032
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Li PP, Young LT, Tam YK, Sibony D, Warsh JJ. Effects of chronic lithium and carbamazepine treatment on G-protein subunit expression in rat cerebral cortex. Biol Psychiatry 1993; 34:162-70. [PMID: 8399809 DOI: 10.1016/0006-3223(93)90387-s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Although lithium and carbamazepine (CBZ) are effective in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder, their mechanism of action is still unknown. Recent evidence suggests that lithium and CBZ might exert their therapeutic effects by modulating the function of guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-regulatory (G) proteins associated with central nervous system second messenger systems. In the present study, we showed that chronic lithium administration decreases G alpha s, G alpha i1, and G alpha i2 messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance by 25%-30% in rat cerebral cortex. However, the levels of G alpha s, G alpha i1, and G alpha i2 mRNA were unaffected by chronic CBZ treatment. The effects of lithium on G alpha s, G alpha i1, and G alpha i2 mRNA levels appear to be selective, as the mRNA levels of G alpha o, G alpha x, G beta 1, G beta 2, and G beta 3 subunits remained unchanged. Two days after terminating chronic lithium treatment, changes in G alpha s, G alpha i1, and G alpha i2 mRNA levels were not demonstrable. Short-term administration of lithium (2 days), however, reduced only the G alpha i2 mRNA levels. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in the amount of immunologically detectable G alpha s-s, G alpha s-1, G alpha i(1 + 2), G alpha 0, and G beta (1 + 2) in the cortex of rats chronically treated with lithium or CBZ, compared with controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Li
- Section of Biochemical Psychiatry, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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36
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Abstract
The effects of guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein (G-protein) blockade on hippocampal LTP at stratum radiatum-CA1 synapses was studied. Bath application of 20 mM lithium chloride (LiCl) inhibited long-term potentiation (LTP) of extracellularly-recorded excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). Inclusion of 100 mM LiCl in intracellular recording electrodes was shown to block postsynaptic G-proteins by bath-application of baclofen, an agonist at the G-protein linked gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAB) receptor. Under normal conditions, GABAB receptor activation causes a hyperpolarization postsynaptically, and a decrease in neurotransmitter release presynaptically. With LiCl in the recording electrodes, the postsynaptically-mediated hyperpolarization was blocked, while the presynaptically-mediated depression of EPSPs was unaffected. With postsynaptic G-proteins blocked in this manner, LTP at these synapses was inhibited. These studies provide evidence for the involvement of a postsynaptic G-protein in LTP of stratum radiatum-CA1 synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- B A Ballyk
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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Faraci WS, Zorn SH, Bakker AV, Jackson E, Pratt K. Beryllium competitively inhibits brain myo-inositol monophosphatase, but unlike lithium does not enhance agonist-induced inositol phosphate accumulation. Biochem J 1993; 291 ( Pt 2):369-74. [PMID: 8387266 PMCID: PMC1132534 DOI: 10.1042/bj2910369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Despite limiting side-effects, lithium is the drug of choice for the treatment of bipolar depression. Its action may be due, in part, to its ability to dampen phosphatidylinositol turnover by inhibiting myo-inositol monophosphatase. Beryllium has been identified as a potent inhibitor of partially purified myo-inositol monophosphatase isolated from rat brain (Ki = 150 nM), bovine brain (Ki = 35 nM), and from the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH (Ki = 85 nM). It is over three orders of magnitude more potent than LiCl (Ki = 0.5-1.2 mM). Kinetic analysis reveals that beryllium is a competitive inhibitor of myo-inositol monophosphatase, in contrast with lithium which is an uncompetitive inhibitor. Inhibition of exogenous [3H]inositol phosphate hydrolysis by beryllium (IC50 = 250-300 nM) was observed to the same maximal extent as that seen with lithium in permeabilized SK-N-SH cells, reflecting inhibition of cellular myo-inositol monophosphatase. However, in contrast with that observed with lithium, agonist-induced accumulation of inositol phosphate was not observed with beryllium in permeabilized and non-permeabilized SK-N-SH cells and in rat brain slices. Similar results were obtained in permeabilized SK-N-SH cells when GTP-gamma-S was used as an alternative stimulator of inositol phosphate accumulation. The disparity in the actions of beryllium and lithium suggest that either (1) selective inhibition of myo-inositol monophosphatase does not completely explain the action of lithium on the phosphatidylinositol cycle, or (2) that uncompetitive inhibition of myo-inositol monophosphatase is a necessary requirement to observe functional lithium mimetic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- W S Faraci
- Central Research Division, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT 06340
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38
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Stubbs EB, Agranoff BW. Lithium enhances muscarinic receptor-stimulated CDP-diacylglycerol formation in inositol-depleted SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. J Neurochem 1993; 60:1292-9. [PMID: 8455027 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1993.tb03289.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The psychotherapeutic action of Li+ in brain has been proposed to result from the depletion of cellular inositol secondary to its block of inositol monophosphatase. This action is thought to slow phosphoinositide resynthesis, thereby attenuating stimulated phosphoinositidase-mediated signal transduction in affected cells. In the present study, the effect of Li+ on muscarinic receptor-stimulated formation of the immediate precursor of phosphatidylinositol, CDP-diacylglycerol (CDP-DAG), has been examined in human SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells that have been cultured under conditions that alter the cellular content of myo-inositol. Resting neuroblastoma cells, like brain cells in vivo, were found to concentrate inositol from the culture medium, achieving an intracellular level of 60.0 +/- 4 nmol/mg of protein. The addition of carbachol to [3H]cytidine-prelabeled cells elicited a four- to fivefold increase in the accumulation of labeled CDP-DAG. This stimulated formation of [3H]CDP-DAG was completely blocked by the addition of 10 microM atropine, was not dependent on the presence of Li+, nor was it affected by co-incubation with myo-inositol. This result was in sharp contrast to findings in rat brain slices, in which carbachol-stimulated formation of [3H]CDP-DAG was potentiated approximately 10-fold by Li+ and substantially reduced by coincubation with inositol. The formation of [3H]CDP-DAG in labeled SK-N-SH cells by carbachol was both concentration and time dependent. The order of efficacy of muscarinic ligands in stimulating [3H]-CDP-DAG accumulation paralleled that established in these cells for inositol phosphate accumulation, i.e., carbachol > or = oxotremorine-M > bethanecol > or = arecoline > oxotremorine > pilocarpine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- E B Stubbs
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48104-1687
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Gao XM, Fukamauchi F, Chuang DM. Long-term biphasic effects of lithium treatment on phospholipase C-coupled M3-muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in cultured cerebellar granule cells. Neurochem Int 1993; 22:395-403. [PMID: 8384505 DOI: 10.1016/0197-0186(93)90021-v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
We have studied the long-term effects of lithium on neuronal morphology and the functional expression of phospholipase C-coupled m3-muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in cerebellar granule cells. There was a biphasic dose-dependent effect on cell morphology following treatment with lithium for 7 days. At low concentrations (< or = 2 mM), this drug elicited an increase in the number and thickness of connecting nerve fibers, and the size of neuronal aggregates. At high concentrations (5-10 mM), lithium induced a severe deterioration of cell morphology, which ultimately resulted in neuronal death. Carbachol-induced phosphoinositide (PI) turnover was similarly affected by lithium treatment with a significant potentiation at concentrations up to 2 mM and a marked inhibition at doses higher than 5 mM due to lithium-induced neurotoxicity. The biphasic effect on mAChR-mediated PI hydrolysis was associated with corresponding changes in the maximal extent of carbachol-induced inositol phosphate accumulation, and was accompanied by similar changes in [3H]N-methyl-scopolamine binding to mAChRs and the levels of mRNAs for m3-mAChR and c-Fos. The up-regulation of m3-mAChR mRNA induced by low concentrations of lithium was associated with a down-regulation of m2-mAChR mRNA and no change in either total RNA or beta-actin mRNA. Lithium's effects on m2- and m3-mAChR mRNAs were time-dependent, requiring a pretreatment time of > or = 3 days. The biphasic effect was also demonstrated by the binding of [3H]ouabain to Na+, K(+)-ATPase, which was shown to be a convenient method for quantifying viable neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- X M Gao
- Section on Molecular Neurobiology, Biological Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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40
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Leech AP, Baker GR, Shute JK, Cohen MA, Gani D. Chemical and kinetic mechanism of the inositol monophosphatase reaction and its inhibition by Li+. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1993; 212:693-704. [PMID: 8385008 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1993.tb17707.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Lithium-sensitive inositol monophosphatase from bovine brain was purified from brain and from a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli BL21-DE3. The natural and recombinant enzymes displayed identical physical and kinetic properties. At low [Li+], Li+ inhibited the hydrolysis of racemic myo-inositol 1-phosphate, myo-inositol 4-phosphate and adenosine 2'-phosphate in a linear uncompetitive manner with apparent Ki values of 1.1, 0.11 and 1.52 mM, respectively. At Li+ concentrations higher than 4 mM, Li+ acted as a non-linear noncompetitive inhibitor for myo-inositol 1-phosphate, Ki greater than 1.5 mM. The enzyme was unable to catalyze the transesterification of [14C]inositol in the presence of inositol 1-phosphate or adenosine 2'-phosphate and attempts to trap a phosphorylated enzyme intermediate directly, were unsuccessful. In the presence of Li+, the enzyme was able to release inositol from inositol 1-phosphate, in a burst, faster than the rate of steady-state substrate turnover suggesting that Li+ binds after P-O bond cleavage in the substrate has occurred. The possibility that a free phosphorylated enzyme intermediate might exist was discounted when the exchange of 18O from [18O] water into phosphate was shown to be completely dependent upon inositol. The Km for inositol for 18O exchange was 190 mM and in the presence of saturating phosphate, VEx was at least 60% of Vmax for the hydrolysis reaction. Thus, the enzyme operates via a ternary-complex mechanism, and Li+ exerts its action by binding to enzyme/product complexes. At low concentration, Li+ inhibition with respect to the cofactor, Mg2+ was non-competitive. Mg2+ acted as a non-competitive activator for substrate hydrolysis at pH 8.0, but as the second substrate in an equilibrium-ordered mechanism at pH 6.5. Cooperativity effects were observed for Mg2+ with inositol 1-phosphate and 2'AMP as the substrate but not with inositol 4-phosphate. The combined results indicate that Mg2+ and substrate binding is ordered with substrate adding first. Inositol, the first product off, was a poor non-competitive inhibitor for inositol 1-phosphate whereas the other product, phosphate, was a competitive inhibitor. Phosphate inhibition was markedly pH dependent (Ki = 8 mM at pH 6.5 and 0.32 mM at pH 8.0). In the presence of Li+ and phosphate, increasing [Li+] caused the Ki for phosphate to decrease by a factor of (1 + [Li+]/KLi). The Ki for the first product off (inositol) was, however, unaltered by Li+. The results indicate that Li+ can bind to the species E.Ins.Pi and E.Pi, but not to enzyme/substrate complexes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Leech
- Chemistry Department, The University, St. Andrews, Scotland
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Hudson CJ, Young LT, Li PP, Warsh JJ. CNS signal transduction in the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of affective disorders and schizophrenia. Synapse 1993; 13:278-93. [PMID: 8497811 DOI: 10.1002/syn.890130311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Until recently, research on the neurochemical basis of affective disorders (AD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) focused on detecting postulated disturbances in presynaptic neurotransmitter release and metabolism, or postsynaptic receptor function. New insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the propagation of neurotransmitter signals across biological membranes and in the regulation of neuronal responses have allowed the development of novel hypotheses, which may explain the altered postsynaptic neuroreceptor responsivity thought to be integral to the pathophysiology of these disorders. In this review we evaluate evidence from both basic science and clinical research implicating disturbances in postreceptor signal transduction in the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of AD and SCZ. Specific findings regarding potential postreceptor sites of pathophysiology are highlighted in each of these disorders, together with the growing body of data on the possible postreceptor loci of psychotropic drug action, especially lithium and antidepressants.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Hudson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Canada
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42
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Species Differences in the Response of Second Messenger Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate to Lithium. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1993. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-185285-6.50034-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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43
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Dixon JF, Lee CH, Los GV, Hokin LE. Lithium enhances accumulation of [3H]inositol radioactivity and mass of second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in monkey cerebral cortex slices. J Neurochem 1992; 59:2332-5. [PMID: 1431911 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1992.tb10129.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
We previously reported that lithium, in the presence of acetylcholine, increased accumulations of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate in brain cortex slices from the guinea pig, rabbit, rat, and mouse. In the mouse and rat, the Li(+)-induced increases required supplementation of the medium with inositol. This probably relates to the following facts: (a) Brain cortices of the mouse and rat contain in vivo concentrations of inositol half of that of the guinea pig. (b) Incubated rat brain cortex slices are depleted of inositol by 80%. (c) The slices require 10 mM inositol supplementation to restore in vivo concentrations. We now show that in monkey brain cortex slices, therapeutic concentrations of Li+ increase accumulation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. The inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate level is not increased. Neither inositol nor an agonist is required. The same effects are seen whether inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is quantified by the [3H]inositol prelabeling technique or by mass assay, although mass includes a pool of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate that is metabolically inactive. Thus, in a therapeutically relevant model for humans, Li+ increases inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate levels in brain cortex slices, as was previously seen in lower mammals at non-rate-limiting concentrations of inositol.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Dixon
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison 53706
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Peters DJ, Snaar-Jagalska BE, Van Haastert PJ, Schaap P. Lithium, an inhibitor of cAMP-induced inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate accumulation in Dictyostelium discoideum, inhibits activation of guanine-nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins, reduces activation of adenylylcyclase, but potentiates activation of guanylyl cyclase by cAMP. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1992; 209:299-304. [PMID: 1356770 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1992.tb17289.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Li+ drastically alters pattern formation in Dictyostelium by inhibiting cAMP-induced prespore-gene expression and promoting cAMP-induced prestalk-gene expression. We reported previously that Li+ inhibits inositol monophosphatases in this organism and strongly reduces basal and cAMP-stimulated inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate levels. We show here that Li+ also reduces cAMP-induced accumulation of cAMP, but promotes cAMP-induced accumulation of cGMP. This effect is not due to inhibition of cGMP hydrolysis or inhibition of adaptation and may therefore reflect stimulation of guanylyl-cyclase activation. Li+ does not affect the binding of cAMP to surface receptors but interferes with the interaction between receptors and guanine-nucleotide-binding regulatory (G) proteins. These effects are complex; in the absence of Mg2+, Li+ increases guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate(GTP[S])-binding activity to similar levels as 1 mM Mg2+. However, while Mg2+ potentiates cAMP-induced stimulation of GTP[S]-binding activity, Li+ effectively inhibits stimulation. Li+ also inhibits cAMP-stimulated, but not basal high-affinity GTP-ase activity, indicating an inhibitory effect on cAMP-induced activation of G-proteins. Our data suggest that in addition to inositolphosphate metabolism, the activation of G-proteins may be a second biochemical target for Li+ effects on pattern formation and signal transduction in Dictyostelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Peters
- Department of Biology, University of Leiden, The Netherlands
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45
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Abstract
Lithium is known to potentiate the ability of pilocarpine to induce status epilepticus in rats. The goal of this study was to determine whether lithium could potentiate pilocarpine-induced seizures in developing animals. Behavioral, electroencephalographic (EEG), and histopathological changes induced by systemic administration of lithium (3 meq/kg) followed 20 h later by pilocarpine (3, 10, 30, 60 mg/kg) were studied in 3-30-day-old rats. Lithium followed by pilocarpine (30 and 60 mg/kg) induced hyperactivity, tremor, loss of postural control and scratching but no electrographic seizures in 3-8-day-old rats. In the 7-10-day-old animals pretreatment with lithium and pilocarpine 60 mg/kg induced status epilepticus with sustained myoclonus and continuous bilateral synchronous spike and sharp wave, but doses of pilocarpine lower than 60 mg/kg had no effect. The susceptibility to lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus increased markedly during the third postnatal week of life. During this time period, rats treated with lithium (3 meq/kg) plus pilocarpine 10 mg/kg exhibited behavioral and EEG manifestations of status epilepticus. The same combination of lithium and pilocarpine failed to induce status epilepticus either before or after the third week of life. Histopathological analysis of the brains of the animals used in these studies failed to demonstrate the widespread damage reported in adult rats that have undergone lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Hirsch
- Department of Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
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46
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Song L, Jope RS. Chronic lithium treatment impairs phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis in membranes from rat brain regions. J Neurochem 1992; 58:2200-6. [PMID: 1573399 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1992.tb10964.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Membranes prepared from rat brain regions were used to measure the receptor-coupled and/or guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-mediated hydrolysis of exogenous [3H]phosphatidylinositol ([3H]PI). Guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) and NaF (in the presence of AlCl3) caused concentration-dependent stimulations of [3H]PI hydrolysis, supporting the conclusion that G proteins mediating [3H]PI hydrolysis can be activated in this preparation. Neither of these responses was altered by in vitro incubation with 8 mM LiCl, but both were reduced in hippocampal, striatal, and cortical membranes from rats that had been treated with lithium for 4 weeks compared with controls. Two cholinergic agonists, carbachol and pilocarpine, induced no hydrolysis of [3H]PI unless GTP gamma S was also present, in which case each equally stimulated [3H]PI hydrolysis above that obtained with GTP gamma S alone. In the presence of GTP gamma S several excitatory amino acid agonists stimulated [3H]PI hydrolysis to an extent similar to that of carbachol. After chronic lithium treatment, [3H]PI hydrolysis stimulated by carbachol was significantly attenuated, but the response to quisqualate was unaffected. Therefore, lithium added in vitro does not have an effect on cholinergic receptor- or G protein-mediated [3H]PI hydrolysis, but each of these is reduced by chronic lithium treatment. Because exogenous [3H]PI was provided as the substrate, it is evident that the inhibitory effect of chronic lithium treatment cannot be due to substrate depletion. Impaired function of G proteins appears to be the most likely mechanism accounting for attenuated [3H]PI hydrolysis after chronic administration of lithium.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Song
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294
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47
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Wang H, Grahame-Smith DG. The effects of rubidium, caesium and quinine on 5-HT-mediated behaviour in rat and mouse--3. Quinine. Neuropharmacology 1992; 31:425-31. [PMID: 1388254 DOI: 10.1016/0028-3908(92)90079-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
It has been shown that caesium, which shares properties with quinine as a K(+)-channel blocker, enhanced 5-HT-mediated behaviour in both rats and mice. It was therefore of interest to investigate the effects of quinine on 5-HT-mediated behaviour in the rat and mouse. Quinine, dose-dependently (ED50 = 5 mg/kg), produced the 5-HT behavioural syndrome in rats pre-treated with tranylcypromine (TCP) (15 mg/kg, i.p.). p-Chlorophenylalanine (i.p., 300 mg/kg x2) or (-)-propranolol (20 mg/kg, i.p.), pindolol (4 mg/kg, i.p.) and ritanserin (0.4 mg/kg, s.c.), all prevented the behavioural syndrome induced by quinine (72 mg/kg, i.p.) plus TCP. The administration of quinine (72 mg/kg, i.p.) enhanced the 5-HT syndrome elicited by p-chloramphetamine (4 mg/kg, i.p.) and the 5-HT agonists, 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.), 5-MeODMT (2 mg/kg, i.p.), DOI (8 mg/kg, s.c.) and quipazine (25 mg/kg, i.p.) in rats. Pretreatment with quinine also potentiated the 5-HT2-mediated head-twitch in the mouse but had no effect on the hypothermia in the mouse, induced by 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.). Quinine also enhanced the rate of synthesis of 5-HT in the brain of the rat. On the basis of these findings, together with those in the preceding two papers, it is suggested that the effects of rubidium, caesium and quinine, to enhance differentially various aspects of 5-HT function are mediated by actions on 5-HT-modulated K(+)-channels. This conclusion is also discussed in relation to the actions of lithium and electroconvulsive shock on 5-HT function in brain and the treatment of manic-depressive disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wang
- MRC Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, U.K
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48
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Lucchelli A, Grana E, Santagostino-Barbone MG. Influence of lithium pretreatment and of cooling on the responsiveness of the rat isolated jejunum and urinary bladder to muscarinic agonists. JOURNAL OF AUTONOMIC PHARMACOLOGY 1992; 12:61-72. [PMID: 1583026 DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-8673.1992.tb00363.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
1. The aim of the present study was to see whether contractile responses induced by muscarinic agonists in the rat jejunum and urinary bladder were differently affected by procedures that mainly influence the steps following agonist-receptor interaction. Thus, the effects of ex vivo lithium pretreatment (6.8 mmol kg-1 i.p. for 3 days) and in vitro cooling from 37 degrees C to 20 degrees C) on the contractile responses to full and partial agonists, carbachol, oxotremorine, muscarine and pilocarpine were studied. 2. Lithium pretreatment did not affect muscarinic responses on the urinary bladder. It significantly reduced responses to carbachol and oxotremorine but not to muscarine and pilocarpine on the rat jejunum. 3. A decrease of the bath temperature from 37 degrees C to 20 degrees C potentiated responses to carbachol, muscarine and oxotremorine and abolished those to pilocarpine in the urinary bladder. The same lowering of the bath temperature potentiated responses to carbachol, did not affect those to muscarine and to oxotremorine and reduced those to pilocarpine in the jejunum. 4. Together the findings indicate that differences exist in the stimulus-response coupling induced by muscarinic agonists between the two tissues and that, in a given tissue, differences exist among agonists in their ability to activate the agonist-receptor-transducer complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Lucchelli
- Institute of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pavia, Italy
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Avissar S, Schreiber G. Ziskind-Somerfeld research Award. The involvement of guanine nucleotide binding proteins in the pathogenesis and treatment of affective disorders. Biol Psychiatry 1992; 31:435-59. [PMID: 1581423 DOI: 10.1016/0006-3223(92)90257-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins play a pivotal role in postreceptor information transduction. An important characteristic of G proteins is their increased guanine nucleotide binding following agonist stimulation, which in turn leads to their activation. We have developed a method that enables the measurement of early events in signal transduction beyond receptors, through activated receptor-coupled guanine nucleotide exchange on G proteins. Using this method, lithium was recently demonstrated to inhibit the coupling of both muscarinic cholinergic and beta-adrenergic receptors to pertussis toxin-sensitive and cholera toxin-sensitive G proteins, respectively, thus suggesting alteration of the function of G protein by lithium, as the single site for both the antimanic and antidepressant effects of this drug. One of the most puzzling aspects of the ability of lithium to ameliorate the manic-depressive condition is its relatively selective action upon the central nervous system (CNS). It was previously shown that lithium selectively attenuated the function of Gs proteins in the CNS. In the present study, we show that inhibition by lithium of muscarinic receptor-coupled G protein function is also selective to the CNS. The clinical profile of lithium, carbamazepine, and electroconvulsive treatment (ECT), agents that are effective in the prevention and treatment of bipolar affective disorder, differs from that of purely antidepressant drugs. Antidepressant drugs are effective in the acute treatment and prevention of depression only, and can even precipitate hypomanic or manic "switches," or "rapid cycling" between mania and depression. We have investigated and compared the effects of chronic antibipolar and antidepressant treatments on receptor-coupled G protein function. Antibipolar treatments (lithium, carbamazepine, ECT) attenuate both receptor-coupled Gs and non-Gs (i.e., Gi, Go) proteins function; in contrast, only Gs protein function is inhibited by antidepressant drugs [either tricyclics or monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors]. Moreover, an integral adrenergic neuronal system is required for antidepressant inhibition of Gs protein function, as pretreatment with the noradrenergic neurotoxin DSP-4 (N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine) specifically abolishes the effects of antidepressant drugs on Gs protein, whereas antibipolar drug effects on G protein function are unaffected by DSP-4. Our results suggest that attenuation of beta-adrenergic receptor-coupled Gs protein function, which is common to both antidepressant and antibipolar treatments, may be the mechanism underlying their antidepressant therapeutic efficacy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- S Avissar
- Department of Psychiatry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
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Lenox RH, Watson DG, Patel J, Ellis J. Chronic lithium administration alters a prominent PKC substrate in rat hippocampus. Brain Res 1992; 570:333-40. [PMID: 1617424 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(92)90598-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The therapeutic effect of lithium in the treatment of bipolar disorder exhibits a significant delay in the onset of action and a persistence of efficacy beyond abrupt discontinuation of treatment. Lithium is known to alter receptor-coupled phosphoinositide second messenger pathway in brain, resulting in indirect changes in an endogenous activator of protein kinase C (PKC). Such evidence has suggested that PKC may be involved in the mechanism of action of lithium in the brain. PKC represents a site wherein long-term regulatory changes in cell function occur through the phosphorylation of specific phosphoproteins involved in processes including neurotransmitter release and receptor activation. In studies of rats exposed to lithium, however, we have found no significant effects of chronic administration on the relative activity, subcellular distribution, or activation of PKC in hippocampus. We did find a major reduction in the in vitro PKC mediated phosphorylation of two major substrates, 83 kDa and 45 kDa, in hippocampus of rats exposed to chronic lithium and maintaining clinically relevant therapeutic levels in brain. Using immunoblot analysis we have identified a known myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) at 83 kDa. In vivo levels of MARCKS in hippocampus were found to be significantly reduced after chronic lithium exposure. These findings persist in animals withdrawn from lithium, but are not apparent following acute treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- R H Lenox
- University of Vermont College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Burlington 05405
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