title: Altered levels of serotonin in lymphoblasts derived from migraine patients.
abstract: We previously reported that dysfunctions in the autonomic nervous systems of patients with migraines occur not only in the brain, but throughout the whole body. Serotonin and neuropeptides are also known to have important roles in the pathophysiology of migraine. With this background in mind, we analyzed human lymphoblast cell lines from migraine with aura (MwA) patients to investigate the pathophysiology of migraine. The characteristics of these lymphoblasts and the involvement of the lymphoblasts in serotonin metabolism were examined. The lymphoblasts expressed serotonin receptors as well as some enzymes related to serotonin metabolism. The serotonin level in the MwA lymphoblasts was higher than that in the control cells. However, serotonin uptake into the lymphoblasts in MwA patients was similar to that in the control subjects. These findings suggest that lymphoblasts in MwA patients have altered levels of serotonin metabolism. Moreover, we propose that this lymphoblast cell system could serve as a novel modality for migraine research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Saitama City Hospital, 2560 Mimuro, Saitama City, Japan. e-nagata@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Eiichiro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takaoka
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuwana
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D020325:Migraine with Aura / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012701:Serotonin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014316:Tritium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014316:Tritium; D012701:Serotonin; D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan