Genomic and proteomic analysis of the effects of cannabinoids on normal human astrocytes

• Published in: Brain research 2008-01, Vol.1191, p.1-11
• Main Authors: Bindukumar, B, Mahajan, S.D, Reynolds, J.L, Hu, Z, Sykes, D.E, Aalinkeel, R, Schwartz, S.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AIDS; Astrocyte; Astrocytes - drug effects; Astrocytes - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Cannabinoid; Cells, Cultured; Chaperonin 60 - drug effects; Chaperonin 60 - metabolism; Creatine Kinase, BB Form - drug effects; Creatine Kinase, BB Form - metabolism; Dronabinol - pharmacology; Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase - drug effects; Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase - metabolism; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Genomic; Genomics; Glutathione Peroxidase - drug effects; Glutathione Peroxidase - metabolism; HIV; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Infectious diseases; Mass spectrometry; Medical sciences; Microarray; Nerve Tissue Proteins - classification; Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism; Neurology; Neuropharmacology; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - drug effects; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - metabolism; Proteomic; Proteomics; Psychodysleptics: hallucinogen; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Psychotropic Drugs - pharmacology; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.10.062

Abstract Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9 -THC), the main psychoactive component of marijuana, is known to dysregulate various immune responses. Cannabinoid (CB)-1 and -2 receptors are expressed mainly on cells of the central nervous system (CNS) and the immune system. The CNS is the primary target of cannabinoids and astrocytes are known to play a role in various immune responses. Thus we undertook this investigation to determine the global molecular effects of cannabinoids on normal human astrocytes (NHA) using genomic and proteomic analyses. NHA were treated with Δ9 -THC and assayed using gene microarrays and two-dimensional (2D) difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to elucidate their genomic and proteomic profiles respectively. Our results show that the expression of more than 20 translated protein gene products from NHA was differentially dysregulated by treatment with Δ9 -THC compared to untreated, control NHA.