Altered cortical CDC42 signaling pathways in schizophrenia: implications for dendritic spine deficits.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Spine density on the basilar dendrites of pyramidal neurons is lower in layer 3, but not in layers 5 and 6, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of subjects with schizophrenia. The expression of CDC42 (cell division cycle 42), a RhoGTPase that regulates the outgrowth of the actin cytoskeleton and promotes spine formation, is also lower in schizophrenia; however, CDC42 mRNA is lower across layers 3-6, suggesting that other lamina-specific molecular alterations are critical for the spine deficits in the illness. The CDC42 effector proteins 3 and 4 (CDC42EP3, CDC42EP4) are preferentially expressed in DLPFC layers 2 and 3, and CDC42EP3 appears to assemble septin filaments in spine necks. Therefore, alterations in CDC42EP3 could contribute to the lamina-specific spin

SUBMITTER: Ide M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2900524 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature