Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta as a likely target for the action of lithium on circadian clocks.
Although lithium is one of the most commonly used drugs in the prophylaxis and treatment of bipolar disorder, the mechanisms underlying its therapeutic action are still unclear. Together with its mood-stabilizing effects, lithium is also known to influence the circadian clocks of several organisms including man. Circadian rhythms are altered in patients with bipolar disorder, and it is believed that these rhythms may play an important role in disease mechanisms. It is therefore possible that some of the therapeutic actions of lithium may be related to its effect on circadian clocks. Identifying the targets for lithium's action on circadian clocks would therefore be important both for understanding the mechanisms of its therapeutic effect and also in further understanding disease mechanisms in bipolar disorders. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, we show that long-term administration of lithium results in lengthening of the free-running period (tau) of circadian locomotor activity rhythm of flies in constant darkness (DD). This effect occurs at concentrations similar to the plasma levels of lithium used in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The lithium-treated flies also show reduced activity of one of the previously reported targets of lithium action, Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3beta (GSK 3beta). GSK 3beta has been shown to be involved in the regulation of circadian clocks as the down regulation of this protein results in an elongation of tau. The tau elongation resembles the effect seen with lithium administration in a number of organisms including man, and taken together with the earlier observations our results suggest that lithium inhibits the activity of GSK 3beta to produce its effect on circadian clocks.
Padiath
Quasar Saleem
QS
National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR Centre, Bangalore, India.
Paranjpe
Dhanashree
D
Jain
Sanjeev
S
Sharma
Vijay Kumar
VK
D000818:Animals; D051186:Armadillo Domain Proteins; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000187:drug effects*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051176:beta Catenin
C495305:ARM protein, Drosophila; D051186:Armadillo Domain Proteins; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051176:beta Catenin; D008094:Lithium; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3