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Expressional profile of the diacylglycerol kinase eta gene DGKH

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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a genetically complex mental disorder, which is characterized by recurrent depressive and manic episodes, occurring with a typical cyclical course. In a recent study, we were able to identify a risk haplotype for BPD, as well as for unipolar depression and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), within the DGKH gene. DGKH codes for the eta (η) isoform of diacylglycerol kinase, which is involved in the phosphoinositol pathway. In the present study, we determined the expressional profile of Dgkh using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), in situ hybridization and immunohistological staining in the human and in the mouse brain. Expression studies showed that two different Dgkh transcripts exhibited distinct occurrence in a variety of murine tissues and also differed in their expression levels. The proteins encoded by those transcripts differ in functional protein domains suggesting distinct biochemical and cell biological properties and functions. qPCR analyses revealed an increase in Dgkh expression during mouse brain development indicating a possible role of this kinase in late developmental stages. Immunostainings revealed strong Dgkh expression in neurons of the hippocampus and the cerebellum of the murine brain, whereas highest expression levels of DGKH in the human brain were found in the striatum. Taken together, our studies revealed expressional changes during mouse brain development and occurrence of Dgkη in neurons of regions that have been linked to BPD as well as ADHD in humans providing evidence for the implication of DGKH in those disorders.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Claudia Kriegebaum for providing the RNA of different murine tissues and Marion Winnig for expert technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str. 10, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany

    Lena Weißflog, Florian Freudenberg, Sarah Kittel-Schneider & Andreas Reif

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Füchsleinstr. 15, 97080, Würzburg, Germany

    Nils Becker & Nelli Bossert

  3. Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Theodor-Boveri-Institute of Bioscience, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    Nils Becker

  4. Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

    Nelli Bossert

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  1. Lena Weißflog
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Correspondence to Lena Weißflog.

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Weißflog, L., Becker, N., Bossert, N. et al. Expressional profile of the diacylglycerol kinase eta gene DGKH . Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 267, 445–454 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-016-0695-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-016-0695-4

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