Background: Regulator of G protein Signaling (RGS) proteins inhibit G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, including the signals that arise from neurotransmitter release. We have shown that RGS12 loss diminishes locomotor responses of C57BL/6J mice to dopamine transporter (DAT)-targeting psychostimulants. This diminution resulted from a brain region-specific upregulation of DAT expression and function in RGS12-null mice. This effect on DAT prompted us to investigate whether the serotonin transporter (SERT) exhibits similar alterations upon RGS12 loss in C57BL/6J mice.
Aims: Does RGS12 loss affect (a) hyperlocomotion to the preferentially SERT-targeting psychostimulant 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), (b) SERT expression and function in relevant brain regions, and/or (c) serotonergically modulated behaviors?
Methods: Open-field and spontaneous home-cage locomotor activities were quantified. 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and SERT levels in brain-region homogenates, as well as SERT expression and function in brain-region tissue preparations, were measured using appropriate biochemical assays. Serotonergically modulated behaviors were assessed using forced swim and tail suspension paradigms, elevated plus and elevated zero maze tests, and social interaction assays.
Results: RGS12-null mice displayed no hyperlocomotion to 10 mg/kg MDMA. There were brain region-specific alterations in SERT expression and function associated with RGS12 loss. Drug-naïve RGS12-null mice displayed increases in both anxiety-like and anti-depressive-like behaviors.
Conclusion: RGS12 is a critical modulator of serotonergic neurotransmission and serotonergically modulated behavior in mice; lack of hyperlocomotion to low dose MDMA in RGS12-null mice is related to an alteration of steady-state SERT expression and 5-HT uptake.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269881120944160 | DOI Listing |
Nicotine Tob Res
January 2025
Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Introduction: Varenicline is an α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist with the highest therapeutic efficacy of any pharmacological smoking cessation aid and a 12-month cessation rate of 26%. Genetic variation may be associated with varenicline response, but to date no genome-wide association studies of varenicline response have been published.
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Elife
January 2025
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Berkeley, United States.
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January 2025
Ultrasound in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Biomechanics Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Lung cancer progression is characterized by intricate epigenetic changes that impact critical metabolic processes and cell death pathways. In this study, we investigate the role of histone lactylation at the AIM2 locus and its downstream effects on ferroptosis regulation and lung cancer progression. We utilized a combination of biochemical assays, including chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and western blotting to assess histone lactylation levels and gene expression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChin J Integr Med
January 2025
Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
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FASEB J
January 2025
Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) 1 alpha subcomplex, 4-like 2 (NDUFA4L2) protein is located in the mitochondria and can regulate cell proliferation. Some studies have shown that the high NDUFA4L2 expression is linked with poor prognosis and cancer progression in various patients with cancers. However, the correlation between NDUFA4L2 and pan-cancer is unknown.
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