Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0036341 (schizophrenia)
 60,220 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Behavioral sensitization refers to the progressive increase of behavioral responses to psychomotor stimulants, which provides a model for the intensification of drug craving and relapse alleged to underlie addiction in humans. Mechanisms related to sensitization may also contribute to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While the phenomenon has been observed for years, only recently have molecular or intracellular mechanisms associated with behavioral sensitization been studied. An overview of cAMP and PLA2 (intracellular, signal transduction mechanisms) relevant to behavioral sensitization will be presented.
 ...
PMID:Signal transduction mechanisms and behavioral sensitization to stimulant drugs: an overview of cAMP and PLA2. 1168 91

The nine membrane-bound isoforms of the enzyme adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1) are highly regulated by neurotransmitters and drugs acting through G protein-coupled receptors to modulate intracellular cAMP levels. In general, acute activation of Galpha(s)-coupled receptors stimulates cAMP accumulation, whereas acute activation of Galpha(i/o)-coupled receptors typically inhibits cAMP accumulation. It is also well established that persistent activation of G-protein coupled receptors will alter subsequent drug-modulated cAMP accumulation. These alterations are thought to represent cellular adaptive responses following prolonged receptor activation. One phenomenon commonly observed, heterologous sensitization of adenylate cyclase, is characterized by an enhanced responsiveness to drug-stimulated cAMP accumulation following persistent activation of Galpha(i/o)-coupled receptors. Heterologous sensitization of adenylate cyclase was originally proposed to explain tolerance and withdrawal following chronic opiate administration and may be a mechanism by which cells adapt to prolonged activation of inhibitory receptors. Such an adaptive mechanism has been suggested to play a role in the processes of addiction to and withdrawal from many drugs of abuse and in psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and depression. Although the precise mechanisms remain unknown, research over the last decade has led to advances toward understanding the molecular events associated with heterologous sensitization of recombinant and endogenous adenylate cyclases in cellular models. These events include the pertussis toxin-sensitive events that are associated with the development of heterologous sensitization and the more recently identified Galpha(s)-dependent events that are involved in the expression of heterologous sensitization.
 ...
PMID:Molecular mechanisms for heterologous sensitization of adenylate cyclase. 1206 93

DNA microarray transcriptome profiling of the postmortem brain opens novel horizons in understanding molecular changes associated with complex psychiatric disorders. With careful analysis and interpretation of microarray data we are uncovering previously unknown, expression patterns that maybe subject-specific and pivotal in understanding the disease process. In our recent studies, analyses of the prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia and matched controls uncovered complex changes in the expression of genes related to presynaptic secretory release, GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission, metabolic pathways, myelination, as well as cAMP and phosphoinositol second messenger systems. Our goal will be to integrate this expression data within the context of the relevant anatomical, biochemical, molecular, imaging and clinical findings.
 ...
PMID:Gene expression profiling with DNA microarrays: advancing our understanding of psychiatric disorders. 1246 4

The aim of this study, performed in stably transfected HEK293 cells, was to investigate whether expression of the naturally occurring Pro279Leu variant of the h5-HT7(a) receptor (located in the third intracellular loop) is associated with changes in the pharmacological properties and/or second messenger formation compared to the wild-type receptor. Radioligand binding of [3H]5-carboxamidotryptamine ([3H]5-CT) to membranes and stimulation of [3H]cAMP formation in whole cells evoked by 5-HT receptor agonists were determined. Maximum binding (B(max)) to, and affinity (K(D)) of [3H]5-CT for, the variant receptor and the wild-type receptor were equal. All agonists and antagonists investigated exhibited no differences in affinity between the variant receptor and the wild-type receptor. However, the intrinsic activity of the 5-HT receptor agonists 5-HT, 5-CT, RU24969 and 8-OH-DPAT in stimulating [3H]cAMP accumulation in the cells expressing the Pro279Leu variant was almost abolished and their potency was 2.9-4.3-fold lower. Despite its affinity for both receptor isoforms, sumatriptan did not stimulate the accumulation of cAMP. In individuals expressing the Pro279Leu variant of the h5-HT7(a) receptor, a considerable attenuation of its function may be predicted. This may have relevance for the action of new classes of drugs which affect circadian rhythm or psychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia.
 ...
PMID:Impairment of signal transduction in response to stimulation of the naturally occurring Pro279Leu variant of the h5-HT7(a) receptor. 1256 81

The noradrenergic system may play a role in antipsychotic modulation of schizophrenia symptoms. Therefore, the antagonistic potencies of the antipsychotics clozapine, chlorpromazine, risperidone, olanzapine, haloperidol, quetiapine, ziprasidone, iloperidone and aripiprazole were quantified using cell lines expressing the recombinant human alpha(2C)-adrenoceptor, alpha(2A)-adrenoceptor, or dopamine D(2L) receptor. The alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonists, yohimbine and idazoxan, were also tested. Alterations in cAMP were measured as changes in luminescence. In the alpha(2A)-adrenoceptor cell line, the agonist 5-bromo-6-(2-imidazolin-2-ylamino)quinoxaline (UK14,304) induced a concentration-dependent increase in luminescence. In cell lines expressing alpha(2C) and D(2L) receptors, agonists induced a concentration-dependent reduction in luminescence. Yohimbine and idazoxan were the most potent alpha(2A)-adrenoceptor antagonists, yohimbine and iloperidone were the most potent alpha(2C)-adrenoceptor antagonists, and haloperidol and olanzapine were the most potent dopamine D(2) receptor antagonists. Clozapine had the highest alpha(2C)/D(2) selectivity, and iloperidone the highest alpha(2C)/alpha(2A) ratio. It is hypothesised that alpha(2C)-adrenoceptor blockade contributes to improvement of cognitive function.
 ...
PMID:alpha2C-Adrenoceptor blockade by clozapine and other antipsychotic drugs. 1259 Oct 93

Moderate hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with several diseases, including coronary artery disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and spina bifida. However, the mechanisms for their pathogenesis are unknown but could involve the interaction of homocysteine or its metabolites with molecular targets such as neurotransmitter receptors, channels, or transporters. We discovered that L-homocysteine sulfinic acid (L-HCSA), L-homocysteic acid, L-cysteine sulfinic acid, and L-cysteic acid are potent and effective agonists at several rat metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). These acidic homocysteine derivatives 1) stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the cells stably expressing the mGluR1, mGluR5, or mGluR8 (plus Galpha(qi9)) and 2) inhibited the forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation in the cells stably expressing mGluR2, mGluR4, or mGluR6, with different potencies and efficacies depending on receptor subtypes. Of the four compounds, L-HCSA is the most potent agonist at mGluR1, mGluR2, mGluR4, mGluR5, mGluR6, and mGluR8. The effects of the four agonists were selective for mGluRs because activity was not discovered when L-HCSA and several other homocysteine derivatives were screened against a large panel of cloned neurotransmitter receptors, channels, and transporters. These findings imply that mGluRs are candidate G-protein-coupled receptors for mediating the intracellular signaling events induced by acidic homocysteine derivatives. The relevance of these findings for the role of mGluRs in the pathogenesis of homocysteine-mediated phenomena is discussed.
 ...
PMID:L-homocysteine sulfinic acid and other acidic homocysteine derivatives are potent and selective metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists. 1264 61

The dopamine (DA) innervation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regulates cognitive activity in a complex manner. Alterations of DA function, particularly via the DA D1 receptor class (D1R), are implicated in both schizophrenia and drug addiction, yet the precise roles of DA in modulating mPFC excitability remain unclear. We focused on DA modulation of voltage-gated K(+) current (VGKC) in acutely dissociated rat mPFC pyramidal neurons. We defined three components of the whole-cell VGKC according to biophysical and pharmacological properties. The A-type current (I(A)), with rapid activation and inactivation kinetics, was completely inactivated by prolonged holding of the membrane potential at -40 mV and was sensitive to the K(+) channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) but not tetraethylammonium (TEA) or dendrotoxin (DTX). The slowly inactivating K(+) current (I(D)), with rapid activation but relatively slow inactivation, was the major contributor to VGKC and was completely inactivated at -40 mV and sensitive to TEA and DTX but less so to 4-AP. The very slowly inactivating K(+) current (I(K)) was elicited by command steps to more depolarized potentials from a prolonged holding potential of -40 mV and was sensitive to all three blockers. Stimulation of DA D2 receptors failed to alter any component of whole-cell VGKC. Stimulation of DA D1Rs selectively suppressed I(D), an effect mimicked by the adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin, the active cAMP analog Sp-cAMP, and the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid. Inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) with either PKI or Rp-cAMP abolished D1R modulation. Thus, the DA D1R/cAMP/PKA signaling pathway mediates modulation of I(D) by DA in rat mPFC pyramidal neurons.
 ...
PMID:Dopamine D1-class receptors selectively modulate a slowly inactivating potassium current in rat medial prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons. 1268 54

Three distinct classes of drugs: dopaminergic agonists (such as D-amphetamine), serotonergic agonists (such as LSD), and glutamatergic antagonists (such as PCP) all induce psychotomimetic states in experimental animals that closely resemble schizophrenia symptoms in humans. Here we implicate a common signaling pathway in mediating these effects. In this pathway, dopamine- and an adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-regulated phospho-protein of 32 kilodaltons (DARPP-32) is phosphorylated or dephosphorylated at three sites, in a pattern predicted to cause a synergistic inhibition of protein phosphatase-1 and concomitant regulation of its downstream effector proteins glycogen synthesis kinase-3 (GSK-3), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and c-Fos. In mice with a genetic deletion of DARPP-32 or with point mutations in phosphorylation sites of DARPP-32, the effects of D-amphetamine, LSD, and PCP on two behavioral parameters-sensorimotor gating and repetitive movements-were strongly attenuated.
 ...
PMID:Diverse psychotomimetics act through a common signaling pathway. 1524 57

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder characterized by wide-ranging cognitive impairments, including deficits in learning as well as sensory gating. The causes of schizophrenia are unknown, but alterations in intracellular G-protein signaling pathways are among the molecular changes documented in patients with schizophrenia. Using the CaMKIIalpha promoter to drive expression in neurons within the forebrain, we have developed transgenic mice that express a constitutively active form of G(s)alpha (G(s)alpha(*)), the G protein that couples receptors such as the D(1) and D(5) dopamine receptors to adenylyl cyclase. We have also generated mice in which the CaMKIIalpha promoter drives expression of a dominant-negative form of protein kinase A, R(AB). Here, we examine startle responses and prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI) in these G(s)alpha(*) and R(AB) transgenic mice. G(s)alpha(*) transgenic mice exhibited selective deficits in PPI, without exhibiting alterations in the startle response, whereas no deficit in startle or PPI was found in the R(AB) transgenic mice. Thus, overstimulation of the cAMP/PKA pathway disrupts PPI, but the cAMP/PKA pathway may not be essential for sensorimotor gating. G(s)alpha(*) transgenic mice may provide an animal model of certain endophenotypes of schizophrenia, because of the similarities between them and patients with schizophrenia in G-protein function, hippocampus-dependent learning, and sensorimotor gating.
 ...
PMID:Sensorimotor gating deficits in transgenic mice expressing a constitutively active form of Gs alpha. 1469 47

Functional interactions between dopamine D1-like receptors and NMDA subtype glutamate receptors have been implicated in the maintenance of normal brain activity and neurological dysfunction. Although modulation of NMDA receptor functions by D1 receptor activation has been the subject of extensive investigation, little is known as to how the activation of NMDA receptors alters D1 function. Here we report that NMDA receptors regulate D1 receptor function via a direct protein-protein interaction mediated by the carboxyl tail regions of both receptors. In both cotransfected cells and cultured hippocampal neurons the activation of NMDA receptors increases the number of D1 receptors on the plasma membrane surface and enhances D1 receptor-mediated cAMP accumulation via a SNARE-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, overexpression of mini-genes encoding either NR1 or D1 carboxyl tail fragments disrupts the D1-NR1 direct protein-protein interaction and abolishes NMDA-induced changes in both D1 cell surface expression and D1-mediated cAMP accumulation. Our results demonstrate that the D1-NR1 physical interaction enables NMDA receptors to increase plasma membrane insertion of D1 receptors and provides a novel mechanism by which the activation of NMDA receptors upregulates D1 receptor function. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which D1 and NMDA receptors functionally interact may provide insight toward elucidating the molecular neurobiological mechanisms involved in many neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia.
 ...
PMID:Regulation of dopamine D1 receptor function by physical interaction with the NMDA receptors. 1476 33


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>