title: Drug development targeting the glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta)-mediated signal transduction pathway: role of GSK-3beta in adult brain.
abstract: Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) is a constitutively active kinase. Since its activation results in neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) deposits in aged and Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains, GSK-3beta may be inhibited under normal conditions but activated under pathological conditions. Given its link to NFT formation, we sought to determine whether GSK-3beta exists in the brain as a "pathological time bomb" that promotes disease development. To address this hypothesis, we analyzed GSK-3beta heterozygote (GSK+/-) mice, which express GSK-3beta at 50% wild-type levels. When tested in the Morris water maze test, GSK+/- mice surprisingly exhibited retrograde amnesia. Further analysis indicated that GSK+/- mice had impaired memory reconsolidation but normal memory consolidation. Therefore, we concluded that GSK-3beta activation is required for memory reconsolidation in the adult brain.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan. kenneth@brain.riken.jp
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takashima
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605507:Gsk3b protein, mouse; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3