Naslov
Aggregation of NPAS3, involved in schizophrenia, is based on stress

Autori
Bergman, Mihaela ; Samardžija, Bobana ; Zaharija, Beti ; Bradshaw, Nicholas J.

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Book of Abstracts, 29th International Student Congress of (bio)Medical Sciences / - , 2022, 369-369

Skup
29th International Student Congress of (bio)Medical Sciences

Mjesto i datum
Groningen, Nizozemska, 08.06.2022. - 10.06.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
NPAS3 ; schizophrenia ; protein aggregation

Sažetak
Introduction Bipolar disorder, major depression disorder and schizophrenia are neuropsychiatric conditions categorized as chronic mental illness (CMI) and are some of the leading causes of disabilities worldwide. They are characterized by both genetic and environmental elements, with underlying complexity that remains relatively unknown. Over the past several years, a number of studies have proposed aggregation of specific proteins as one potential pathological cause of CMI. Proteins seen to misassemble and aggregating in brain samples of distinct subgroups of psychiatric patients include TRIOBP-1, DISC1, CRMP1 and NPAS3. It still remains unclear if this aggregation arises from genetic factors, environmental risk factors (stresses), or combination of the two. We are investigating how stress factors affect the aggregation of these proteins in cells. Materials & Methods Each of the four proteins were expressed in the neuroblastoma cell line, SHSY5Y, transfected with plasmids encoding them. After this expression, we applied stress factors for 3 hours to the cell culture medium. Stress factors that are used for this procedure are sodium arsenite (50 µM), iron (II) chloride (1mM), calcium chloride (1mM), zinc acetate (1mM) and MG132 (10 µM). The cells underwent an immunocytochemistry staining technique and were visualised with fluorescence microscope. Results Out of the four proteins that have been tested, NPAS3 had the most interesting effect. After application of certain stress factors, it was shown to go out of the nucleus into cytoplasm, often forming visible aggregates. Sodium arsenite and iron (II) chloride had the clearest effect with a higher rate of aggregation occurring when compared to other stress factor treatments and control group. We are now analysing the dynamics and mechanisms behind these effects in more detail. Conclusion These results suggest that NPAS3 aggregation can be driven by stress depending on the stress factors used in the research, suggesting that NPAS3 aggregation in the brain may also be inducible by stress. We are hoping that the results of our research will contribute to understanding how does the stress affect CMI and provide the information to further research on generating suitable drugs that could effectively treat patients with these aggregated proteins.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biotehnologija u biomedicini (prirodno područje, biomedicina i zdravstvo, biotehničko područje)

POVEZANOST RADA