ABSTRACT
[ABSTRACT]AIM:ToinvestigatetherolesofthecanonicalWntpathwayinautism.METHODS:Usinganau-tistic model induced by prenatal exposure to valproic acid ( VPA) , we detected the expression of the signaling molecules of the canonical Wnt pathway in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus formation (HF) of autistic rats.The expres-sion levels of glycogen synthase kinase 3β( GSK-3β) , phosphorylated GSK-3β, β-catenin and phosphorylated β-catenin were observed by Western blotting .The mRNA expression of GSK-3β, β-catenin, c-Myc and cyclin D1 was assessed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.RESULTS:The results of Western blotting showed that inactivated GSK-3β(Ser9) phospho-rylation was significantly increased , and inhibitory β-catenin ( Ser33/37/Thr41 ) phosphorylation was obviously decreased compared with control group .The results of RT-PCR showed that the mRNA levels of β-catenin, c-Myc and cyclin D1 in-creased, and GSK-3βwas significantly enhanced in VPA-exposed rats compared with the controls .CONCLUSION: In-creased activity of canonical Wnt pathway in the PFC and HF of autistic rats may contribute to the susceptibility to autism .