Intracellular peptides changes in anterior temporal lobe schizophrenia

• Grant number: 12/21573-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: January 15, 2013
• End date: July 14, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Roberto Giorgetti de Britto
• Grantee: Cecília Cequeira Café Mendes
• Supervisor: Christoph W. Turck
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Max Planck Society, Munich, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 09/53515-2 - Analysis of oligopeptidases and intracellular peptides and their physiopathological implications in neurodegenerative diseases, BP.DR

Abstract

Neurological disorders include neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, which are characterized, respectively, by progressive dysfunction with neuronal loss, and disorders in the processing, encoding and filtering of the incoming sensory information. Examples of these disorders are Parkinson's disease (PD), which is characterized by movement disturbances due to a decrease in dopaminergic inputs to the striatum as consequence of neuronal death in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), and schizophrenia (SCZ), in which the patients manifest hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, as well as disturbances in social behavior, motivation and affectivity, among other symptoms. Studies have already correlated the role of peptides and oligopeptidases in the progression of Alzheimer's disease, PD and SCZ. In addition, data from our lab demonstrated a biological function for hemopressin in the modulation of cannabinoid receptors, recognized as important in regulating the development of those disorders. Taking this into account, the aim of the following project is to evaluate possible changes in intracellular peptides in anterior temporal lobe samples of SCZ patients and also specifically in hemopressin (PVNFKFLSH) and related peptides (VD-Hpalfa VDPVNFKLLSH, RVD-Hpalfa-RVDPVNFKLLSH, VD-Hpbeta). These issues will be evaluated by isotopic labeling and liquid chromatography associated to mass spectometer (LC-MS/MS) to quantify and identify such peptides. (AU)