PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Gasic

Publications and source records attributed to G Gasic.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Regulation of cortical and subcortical glutamate receptor subunit expression by antipsychotic drugs.

Because glutamate is an important modulator of subcortical dopamine (DA) function, and abnormal glutamate/DA interactions may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, we examined the effect of chronically administered antipsychotic drugs (APDs) on the levels of specific glutamate receptor subunits in the terminal fields of nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic DA systems. By immunoblotting procedures using antibodies specific for the NMDAR1, GluR1, and GluR2 subunits, we found that haloperidol (predominantly a D2-like antagonist) increased NMDAR1 subunit immunoreactivity (and mRNA levels) in the striatum, while the D1-like antagonist SCH 23390 had the opposite effect. No effect was seen on GluR1 or GluR2 levels. The result that D1-like and D2-like receptor antagonism can reciprocally regulate NMDAR1 expression is consistent with our observation that complete unilateral destruction of the nigrostriatal DA pathway with 6-hydroxy-dopamine had no effect on striatal NMDAR1 subunit levels. Further examination of these striatal effects revealed that chronic treatment with the D2-like receptor antagonist raclopride significantly increased NMDAR1 levels in the striatum, while the 5-HT2a/2c antagonist mianserin tended to produce an increase that did not achieve statistical significance. These findings indicate that the dopaminergic antagonist properties of haloperidol are likely most responsible for its regulation of this subunit. In contrast, the atypical APD clozapine had no effect on striatal NMDAR1 levels, consistent with the relatively weaker influence of this drug on nigrostriatal DA function. The second major finding of the present study was the ability of haloperidol and clozapine to increase GluR1 levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), whereas chronic SCH 23390 treatment decreased GluR1 levels.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Inhibition of the platelet-aggregating activity of two human adenocarcinomas of the colon and an anaplastic murine tumor with a specific thrombin inhibitor, dansylarginine N-(3-ethyl-1,5-pentanediyl)amide.

Platelets are required for certain experimental metastases. Several lines of animal tumor cells aggregate platelets in vitro and in vivo. Previous studies with one of these lines, an SV40-transformed 3T3 mouse fibroblast (SV3T3) have revealed that the platelet-aggregating material is an extractable membrane-associated sialolipoprotein which requires divalent cation, complement, and a heat-stable plasma component for activity. Little information is available on the interaction of human tumors with platelets. We now report on the ability of two human adenocarcinomas of the colon (LoVo and HCT-8) and an anaplastic mouse tumor (Hut-20) to aggregate platelets by a different mechanism, the generation of thrombin. These spontaneous cell lines aggregate human or rabbit platelet-rich plasma after a 1- to 2-min lag period. This is often followed by a visible clot. Unlike SV3T3 cells, aggregation by LoVo, HCT-8, and Hut-20 cells is not inhibited by neuraminidase, trypsin, or cobra venom factor. These three cell lines markedly shorten the recalcification time of citrated plasma, whereas SV3T3 cells do not. Phospholipase A2 treatment inhibits the shortening of the recalcification time for the three tumors; this parallels its inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. LoVo, HCT-8, and Hut-20 cells generate thrombin via the "tissue factor" coagulation pathway (using coagulation factor-deficient substrates). Dansylarginine-N-(3-ethyl-1,5-pentanediyl)amide, a highly specific, potent antithrombin antagonist, inhibits LoVo-, HCT-8-, and Hut-20-induced platelet aggregation at 4 to 15 microM, whereas its effect on SV3T3 cells is negligible. If platelets are required for certain human tumor metastases, dansylarginine-N-(3-ethyl-1, 5-pentanediyl)amide, or other antithrombin agents, may prove to be valuable therapeutic agents.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Drosophila clock gene per affects intercellular junctional communication.

The per locus of Drosophila has been implicated in the control of behavioural rhythms. In fruitfly embryos and larvae per is expressed in salivary glands. Per mutations have striking effects on intercellular communication in salivary glands: gap junction channels are modulated so that their conductance varies inversely with the period of behavioural rhythms in the mutants. A similar effect on junctional communication in the nervous system may explain how per influences behavioural rhythms.

Animals↗