The Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (ERK/MAPK) signaling pathway is a target of ADs and an important pathway involved in cellular plasticity. In major depressive disorder (MDD), especially the prefrontal Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (Hip) are most likely affected in depressive patients and
recent work revealed a hyperactivated ERK signaling in the rat PFC after chronic stress, a precipitating factor for MDD. Strong evidences support that not only neurons but also astrocytes participate in neuronal activity and may therefore additionally be a substrate of AD action. In this study, we show by Western blot that neither fluoxetine (FLX) nor desipramine (DMI) preferentially affects the activation of one of the two ERK isoforms, ERK1 and ERK2, with respect to the other. Further immunohistochemical
analysis in the PFC revealed that basal levels of phospho-activated ERK (pERK) are mostly found in neurons in contrast to very few astrocytes. Both ADs can inhibit neuronal pERK as early as 15 min after drug administration with peculiar regional FLT3 inhibitor and layer specificities. Contrarily, at this time point none of the two ADs shows a clear modulation of astrocytic pERK. We propose that this mechanism of action of ADs may be protective against an exacerbated cortical ERK activity that may exert detrimental effects on susceptible neuronal populations. Our findings on acute effects of AD treatment in the adult mouse PFC encourage to examine further how this treatment might influence pERK in animal models of depression to identify early targets of AD action. (C) 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Aims: To optimize the transformation conditions and improve the transformation efficiency of Bacillus subtilis
WB800 and DB104. Methods and Results: Trehalose, which could decrease the damage of electric shock to the cells, was added to the electroporation medium containing PDK4 sorbitol and mannitol. The factors affecting the transformation efficiency, such as the growth phase of bacteria, cell concentration, electric field strength and plasmid variety, were examined and improved. The new method increased the transformation efficiency of B.subtilis by nearly 100-fold compared with the conventional one. Conclusions: With the optimized method, the transformation efficiency came up to 3.64 x 10(5) transformants mu g-1 DNA for WB800, and 2.10 x 10(5) transformants mu g-1 DNA for DB104. Significance and Impact of the Study: This improvement in transformation efficiency will be largely attributed to the research of expression of exogenous genes in B.subtilis, gene library construction for directed evolution and transformation of wild-type B.subtilis strains.”
“The role of 5-HT2A/2B/2C receptors in formalin-induced secondary allodynia and hyperalgesia in rats was assessed.