Aberrant Regulation of Voltage-gated Potassium Channels in Hek293 Cells Expressing the Mutant Sigma1-receptor Underlying Als16

Studies have shown that major depressive disorder (MDD) is often accompanied by accelerated cellular aging and higher risk of co-morbid somatic age-related diseases. One factor contributing to cellular aging is oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA. Studies have shown that this oxidative stress can be decreased in yeast for example by imposing a calorie restricted diet or inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). These strategies cause an increase in the lifespan of yeast cells by increasing cell resilience. Studies have also implicated oxidative stress as well as monoamine levels to be involved in the pathophysiology of MDD. Hence, the current study investigated the effect of mTOR inhibitor rapamycin on cell lifespan under calorie restricted and non-calorie restricted regimen. Materials and Methods Wildtype Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4742 were cultured in rich YP medium which consisted of increasing concentrations of glucose (0.2%, 0.5%, 1% and 2%) and plated in petri-dishes. Percentage viability of cells was calculated.