title: Glycogen synthase kinase-3β/β-catenin signaling in the rat hypothalamus during the estrous cycle.
abstract: During the estrous cycle, a remodeling of synapses on somas and dendritic spines occurs in the rat hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. The synaptic remodeling is known to be induced by estradiol, but the molecular mechanisms involved still have not been fully clarified. β-catenin is known to regulate synaptic plasticity, so we have assessed possible modifications of β-catenin in the rat mediobasal hypothalamus during the estrous cycle. Our findings indicate that β-catenin expression is increased during proestrus and estrus in comparison with diestrus day. This increase was accompanied by an enhanced phosphorylation of Akt in Ser473 and of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) in Ser9. Also, the association of β-catenin with the synaptic protein PSD95 was increased during these same stages of the estrous cycle, whereas the levels of synapsin I were significantly decreased in proestrus. These findings suggest that Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling is involved in the synaptic modifications that occur in the basal hypothalamus during the estrous cycle.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Area, Group of Neuroscience of Antioquia, Faculty of Medicine, SIU, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barrera-Ocampo
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutierrez-Vargas
authors.forename: Luis Miguel
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Garcia-Segura
authors.forename: Gloria Patricia
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Cardona-Gómez
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D016704:Synapsins / Q000378:metabolism; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C495268:Ctnnb1 protein, rat; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; C501449:Dlg4 protein, rat; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D016704:Synapsins; D051176:beta Catenin; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605508:Gsk3b protein, rat; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3