Alcohol Regulation of BK Channels Surface Expression via Beta‐Catenin Signaling

Abstract

Alcohol tolerance development and retention has long been associated to neural mechanisms related to learning and memory. We have found a persistent component of alcohol molecular tolerance; internalization of BK channels, in both striatal and hippocampus neurons. It is further characterized by increases in β‐catenin in response to physiologically relevant concentrations of alcohol, which are necessary for BK channel internalization. Accumulation of β‐catenin was impaired in the presence of general protein synthesis inhibitors cyclohexamide and emetine, which further blocked ethanol‐induced BK channel internalization in heterologous expression system. Interestingly, BK channel dissociation from lipid raft fractions in response to ethanol exposure was not significantly affected by protein synthesis inhibition. Translational regulation of EtOH was evaluated via tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and Western Blot analysis of de novo synthesized proteins in heterologously expressed hSloα HEK293 preparations. Results indicated that β‐catenin is increased 2.5 fold in response to alcohol compared within a subset of over seven hundred proteins assayed. Transcriptional regulation of EtOH in striatal tissue has been further studied suggesting changes in miRNA profile in response to duration of EtOH exposure. These findings suggest the canonical Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway plays a critical role in mediating a persistent form of BK channel molecular alcohol tolerance regulating BK channel surface distribution, and potentially mediating transcriptional regulation in response to EtOH.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2017
Source ID
10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.lb697

Entities

People

  • Alexandra Burgos
  • Cristina Velazquez‐marrero
  • Jessica Soto
  • Jose Orlando Garcia
  • Katherine Cordero
  • Steven Treistman

Organizations

  • National Science Foundation Office of the Director
  • United States Department of Defense
  • University of Puerto Rico

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Cellular and Molecular Pathways of Apoptosis.
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Neuroscience