Expression of a Constitutively Active Human Insulin Receptor in Hippocampal Neurons Does Not Alter VGCC Currents.

Expression of a Constitutively Active Human Insulin Receptor in Hippocampal Neurons Does Not Alter VGCC Currents. Neurochem Res. 2018 Mar 23;: Authors: Frazier HN, Anderson KL, Maimaiti S, Ghoweri AO, Kraner SD, Popa GJ, Hampton KK, Mendenhall MD, Norris CM, Craven RJ, Thibault O Abstract Memory and cognitive decline are the product of numerous physiological changes within the aging brain. Multiple theories have focused on the oxidative, calcium, cholinergic, vascular, and inflammation hypotheses of brain aging, with recent evidence suggesting that reductions in insulin signaling may also contribute. Specifically, a reduction in insulin receptor density and mRNA levels has been implicated, however, overcoming these changes remains a challenge. While increasing insulin receptor occupation has been successful in offsetting cognitive decline, alternative molecular approaches should be considered as they could bypass the need for brain insulin delivery. Moreover, this approach may be favorable to test the impact of continued insulin receptor signaling on neuronal function. Here we used hippocampal cultures infected with lentivirus with or without IRβ, a constitutively active, truncated form of the human insulin receptor, to characterize the impact continued insulin receptor signaling on voltage-gated calcium channels. Infected cultures were harvested between DIV 13 and 17 (48 h after infection) for Western blot analysis on pAKT and AKT...
Source: Neurochemical Research - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Neurochem Res Source Type: research