title: Decreased expression of spine-associated Rap guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein (SPAR) in glutamate-treated primary hippocampal neurons.
abstract: Spine-associated Rap guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein (SPAR) is an important regulator of activity-dependent remodeling of synapses. It is also critically involved in both mature dendritic spine formation and the maintenance of spine maturity. Glutamate is a major neurotransmitter of the brain, and is involved in all aspects of cognitive function, as it is the primary transmitter utilized by the cortical and hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Glutamate has also been associated with neuronal dendritic spine damage. The precise molecular mechanisms underlying dendritic spine damage following glutamate-induced neurotoxicity remain unknown. In the current study, we measured mRNA and protein expression levels of SPAR and serum-inducible kinase (SNK) in primary hippocampal neurons following glutamate treatment. Expression of SPAR and SNK was altered by glutamate treatment, indicating that the SPAR and SNK signaling pathways may be involved in the damage to dendritic spines in hippocampal neurons following excitotoxicity induced by glutamate.
authors.affiliation: Pathophysiology Department, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sui
authors.forename: Xiao-Guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Li-Bin
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Wan-Zhen
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Xiao-Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Xin-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Niu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C479629:Sipa1l1 protein, rat; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D011494:Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C444640:serum-inducible kinase