objective(s) the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dexamethasone on striatal dopaminergic, glutamatergic and gamma amino butyric acid (gaba) ergic neurotransmission in normal and parkinsonian rats. materials and methods dexamethasone (0.15, 0.30, 0.60 and 0.8 mg/kg) was administered to normal or parkinsonian rats (i.p.) followed by the analysis of the striatal neurotransmitters c...

The mammalian Golgi apparatus consists of individual cisternae that are stacked in a polarized manner to form the compact zones of the Golgi. Several stacks are linked to form a ribbon via dynamic lateral bridges. The determinants required for maintaining the characteristic Golgi structure are incompletely understood. Here, we have characterized p28, a new gamma-subfamily member of p24 membrane...

It is well known that pure absence epilepsy is a benign form of seizure disorder, while most others, particularly partial and convulsive seizures may have transient or permanent deleterious consequences and are more difficult to bring under therapeutic control by anticonvulsants. The hypothesis is proposed that the preservation of GABA-ergic inhibition in absence attacks and its breakdown in mo...

We have utilized small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated depletion of the beta-COP subunit of COP-I to explore COP-I function in organellar compartmentalization and protein traffic. Reduction in beta-COP levels causes the colocalization of markers for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), Golgi, trans-Golgi network (TGN), and recycling endosomes in large, globula...

The Transport protein particle (TRAPP) complex is a tethering factor for COPII vesicle. Of three forms of TRAPP (TRAPPI, II and III) complexes identified so far, TRAPPIII has been largely considered to play a role in autophagy. While depletion of TRAPPIII specific subunits caused defects in the early secretory pathway and TRAPPIII might interact with components of the COPII vesicle coat, its ex...