2004 Projects

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Open Access
Regulation of Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+ ATPase mRNA as a mechanism to prevent Ca2+ cytotoxicity
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2004) Werner, Sara B., author; Sandau, Ursula S., author; Hinds, Laura R., author; Handa, Robert J., author
The Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase Pump (serca2) plays a critical role in intracellular Ca2+ dynamics. One function is to store intracellular Ca2+ in the endoplasmic reticulum. By sequestering Ca2+ from the cytoplasm, serca pumps can act to prevent Ca2+ induced excitotoxicity. Recent studies have shown that androgens can also prevent excitotoxic cell death. Therefore, in this study, we investigated if androgens can regulate serca2. Primary hippocampal neurons were prepared from E18 rat fetuses and after 14 days in vitro, were treated with either dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or vehicle (control) for 48 hours. Following treatment, cells were harvested, total RNA was isolated, and serca2 mRNA was measured using quantitative real time RT-PCR. GAPDH mRNA was measured as an internal control. Levels of serca2 mRNA were compared between the two treatment groups. A dose response curve for DHT was generated (1nM and 10nM). A 1nM concentration of DHT significantly upregulated serca2 mRNA as opposed to that of 10nM where a down-regulation was seen. The upregulation of serca2 mRNA following DHT treatment could be responsible for the neuroprotective actions attributed to androgen receptors.