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cAMP signaling pathway in depressed patients with psychotic features

Molecular Psychiatry volume 7, pages 208–212 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Abnormalities in protein kinase A (PKA) and Rap1 have recently been reported in depressed patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of these proteins in platelets from untreated unipolar and bipolar depressed patients with psychotic features. The levels PKA and Rap1 were assessed by Western blot analysis and immunostaining in 37 drug-free patients and 29 healthy subjects. Both unipolar and bipolar patients with psychotic depression have significantly lower levels of platelet regulatory type I and higher levels of catalytic subunits of PKA than controls, whereas the levels of regulatory type II were higher only in psychotic unipolar patients. No significant differences were found in the immunolabeling of both Rap1 and actin among groups. These findings support the idea that besides nonpsychotic depression, abnormalities of PKA could be linked, albeit in a somewhat different way, with psychotic depression.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant 2511 from the Instituto Scientifico Ospedale San Raffaele. We would also like to thank Drs A Beltrani, T Manzoni, P Rava and D Rossini for their excellent assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Istituto Scientifico HSR, School of Medicine, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy

    J Perez, E Smeraldi & R Zanardi

  2. Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Center of Neuropharmacology, University of Milan, Italy

    D Tardito & G Racagni

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  1. J Perez
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  2. D Tardito
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  3. G Racagni
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  4. E Smeraldi
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Correspondence to J Perez.

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Perez, J., Tardito, D., Racagni, G. et al. cAMP signaling pathway in depressed patients with psychotic features. Mol Psychiatry 7, 208–212 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000969

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