Cocaine sensitization increases I h current channel subunit 2 (HCN₂) protein expression in structures of the mesocorticolimbic system.
Enviado por Francisco Mariano Arencibia-Albi... el
Título | Cocaine sensitization increases I h current channel subunit 2 (HCN₂) protein expression in structures of the mesocorticolimbic system. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2013 |
Autores | Santos-Vera, B, Vázquez-Torres, R, Marrero, HGGarcía, Acevedo, JMRamos, Arencibia-Albite, F, Vélez-Hernández, ME, Miranda, JD, Jiménez-Rivera, CA |
Journal | J Mol Neurosci |
Volume | 50 |
Issue | 1 |
Pagination | 234-45 |
Date Published | 2013 May |
ISSN | 1559-1166 |
Palabras clave | Animals, Brain, Cocaine, Gene Expression, Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels, Ion Channels, Locomotion, Male, Protein Isoforms, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley |
Abstract | Alteration of the biological activity among neuronal components of the mesocorticolimbic (MCL) system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of drug abuse. Changes in the electrophysiological properties of neurons involved in the reward circuit seem to be of utmost importance in addiction. The hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide current, I h, is a prominent mixed cation current present in neurons. The biophysical properties of the I h and its potential modulatory role in cell excitability depend on the expression profile of the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated channel (HCN) subunits. We investigated whether cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization, an animal model of drug addiction, elicits region-specific changes in the expression of the HCN₂ channel's subunit in the MCL system. Tissue samples from the ventral tegmental area, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus were analyzed using Western blot. Our findings demonstrate that cocaine treatment induced a significant increase in the expression profile of the HCN₂ subunit in both its glycosylated and non-glycosylated protein isoforms in all areas tested. The increase in the glycosylated isoform was only observed in the ventral tegmental area. Together, these data suggest that the observed changes in MCL excitability during cocaine addiction might be associated with alterations in the subunit composition of their HCN channels. |
DOI | 10.1007/s12031-012-9920-4 |
Alternate Journal | J. Mol. Neurosci. |
PubMed ID | 23203153 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC3742011 |
Grant List | GM 084854 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States GM-08224 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States R25 GM061838 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States SC1 GM084854 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States |