Journal article
Autophagy has a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia
A Merenlender-Wagner, A Malishkevich, Z Shemer, M Udawela, A Gibbons, E Scarr, B Dean, J Levine, G Agam, I Gozes
Molecular Psychiatry | Published : 2015
DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.174
Abstract
Autophagy is a process preserving the balance between synthesis, degradation and recycling of cellular components and is therefore essential for neuronal survival and function. Several key proteins govern the autophagy pathway including beclin1 and microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3). Here, we show a brain-specific reduction in beclin1 expression in postmortem hippocampus of schizophrenia patients, not detected in peripheral lymphocytes. This is in contrast with activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) and ADNP2, which we have previously found to be deregulated in postmortem hippocampal samples from schizophrenia patients, but that now showed a significantly increas..
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Grants
Awarded by Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University
Funding Acknowledgements
Avia Merenlender-Wagner was an Eshkol Fellow and this work constitutes part of the requirements for a PhD thesis by Tel Aviv University; Professor Gozes' laboratory is supported by the AMN Foundation, CFTAU Montreal Circle of Friends, Joe and Grace Alter, Barbara and Don Seal, the Oberfeld and the Adams families, Adams Super Center for Brain Studies at Tel Aviv University. Initial studies in this research were also partially supported by Allon Therapeutics Inc. Professor Gozes is the incumbent of the Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors at Tel Aviv University. Professor Agam is an incumbent of the Jack Dreyfus Chair in Psychiatry at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. BD is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow (APP1002240). ES is an ARC Future Fellow (FT100100689). Postmortem brain samples were received from the Victorian Brain Bank Network, which is supported by the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Alfred, Victorian Forensic Institute of Medicine, and The University of Melbourne and funded by Australia's National Health & Medical Research Council, Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program, Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, Parkinson's Victoria and Perpetual Philanthropic Services.