Alterations of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins in post-mortem human brain in alcoholics.
Qualitative and quantitative alterations of G proteins in membrane preparations from parietal and temporal cortex regions in post-mortem brains obtained from alcoholics and controls matched with respect to age and post-mortem delay were investigated by Western-blotting with polyclonal antibodies against specific G protein subunits and functional photoaffinity GTP binding. Quantitative immunoblotting showed that only Gs alpha (52 kDa species) in temporal cortex was significantly decreased (30%, P < 0.05) in alcoholics compared with controls. Moreover, ethanol-stimulated photoaffinity GTP labeling of Gs alpha and Gi/o alpha was decreased in alcoholics in both cortex regions. These results suggest that disturbances of G protein-mediated signal transduction may be involved in the pathophysiology of alcoholics.
Ozawa
H
H
Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Japan.
Katamura
Y
Y
Hatta
S
S
Saito
T
T
Katada
T
T
Gsell
W
W
Froelich
L
L
Takahata
N
N
Riederer
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism
D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins