Citation

Pandey GN, Sharma A, Rizavi HS, Ren X. Int. J. Neuropsychopharmacol. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1093/ijnp/pyab003

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Several lines of evidence suggest the abnormalities of protein kinase C (PKC) signaling system in mood disorders and suicide based primarily on the studies of PKC and its isozymes in the platelets and postmortem brain of depressed and suicidal subjects. In this study we examined the role of PKC isozymes in depression and suicide.

METHODS: We determined the protein and mRNA expression of various PKC isozymes in the prefrontal cortical region [Brodmann area 9 (BA9)] in 24 normal control (NC) subjects, 24 depressed suicide (DS) subjects and 12 depressed non-suicide (DNS) subjects. The levels of mRNA in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were determined by qRT-PCR and the protein expression was determined by Western blotting.

RESULTS: We observed a significant decrease in mRNA expression of PKCα, PKCβI, PKCδ and PKCε and decreased protein expression either in the membrane or the cytosol fraction of PKC isozymes - PKCα, PKCβI, PKCβII and PKCδ in DS and DNS subjects compared with NC subjects.

CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides detailed evidence of specific dysregulation of certain PKC isozymes in the postmortem brain of DS and DNS subjects and further supports earlier evidence for the role of PKC in the platelets and brain of adult and teenage depressed and suicidal population. This comprehensive study may lead to further knowledge of the involvement of PKC in the pathophysiology of depression and suicide.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide; depression; PKC; PKC isozymes; postmortem brain; prefrontal cortex