Peptidomic analysis of the anterior temporal lobe and corpus callosum from schizophrenia patients.

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder hypothesized to develop from a combination of genetic, neurodevelopmental, and environmental factors. Molecules that are directly involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and may serve as biomarker candidates can be identified with "omics" approaches such as proteomics and peptidomics. In this context, we performed a peptidomic study in schizophrenia postmortem brains, to our knowledge the first such study in schizophrenia patients. We investigated the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and corpus callosum (CC) by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and a label-free ion quantification technique based on data-dependent acquisition (DDA). Results indicated alterations in a specific intracellular neurogranin peptide in both the ATL and CC and a decrease of PepH, a fragment of histone H2B type 1-H intracellular peptide, in the ATL. PepH was tested in serum-deprived Neuro2A cells and showed a protective effect against cell death. Cells were also challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and PepH was able to prevent the endotoxic effects of LPS. Our data suggest that specific intracellular peptides are altered in schizophrenia patients. The potential biological activity of PepH supports intracellular peptides as novel targets in the study not only of schizophrenia but also of other neuropsychiatric diseases. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Psychiatric disorders are considerably more difficult to diagnose in their early stages. Usually, by the time the diagnosis is clear and clinical treatment can be started, the disorder is already established and thus of greater severity. Consequently, the scientific community has been searching for biomarker candidates that can aid the early detection of such disorders and for novel therapeutics to improve treatment or at least delay disease progression. Moreover, key molecules involved in the establishment of psychiatric diseases may help the understanding of their pathogenesis and thus drive the development of more effective treatments. The present work screened peptides that might be possible novel targets to control cell machinery in schizophrenia and identified an intracellular peptide with potential cytoprotective activity. To our knowledge, this is the first peptidomic study in schizophrenia patients.

Peptidomic analysis of the anterior temporal lobe and corpus callosum from schizophrenia patients

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder hypothesized to develop from a combination of genetic, neurodevelopmental, and environmental factors. Molecules that are directly involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and may serve as biomarker candidates can be identified with "omics" approaches such as proteomics and peptidomics. In this context, we performed a peptidomic study in schizophrenia postmortem brains, to our knowledge the first such study in schizophrenia patients. We investigated the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and corpus callosum (CC) by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and a label-free ion quantification technique based on data-dependent acquisition (DDA). Results indicated alterations in a specific intracellular neurogranin peptide in both the ATL and CC and a decrease of PepH, a fragment of his tone H2B type 1-H intracellular peptide, in the ATL. PepH was tested in serum-deprived Neuro2A cells and showed a protective effect against cell death. Cells were also challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and PepH was able to prevent the endotoxic effects of LPS. Our data suggest that specific intracellular peptides are altered in schizophrenia patients. The potential biological activity of PepH supports intracellular peptides as novel targets in the study not only of schizophrenia but also of other neuropsychiatric diseases. Biological significance: Psychiatric disorders are considerably more difficult to diagnose in their early stages. Usually, by the time the diagnosis is clear and clinical treatment can be started, the disorder is already established and thus of greater severity. Consequently, the scientific community has been searching for biomarker candidates that can aid the early detection of such disorders and for novel therapeutics to improve treatment or at least delay disease progression. Moreover, key molecules involved in the establishment of psychiatric diseases may help the understanding of their pathogenesis and thus drive the development of more effective treatments. The present work screened peptides that might be possible novel targets to control cell machinery in schizophrenia and identified an intracellular peptide with potential cytoprotective activity. To our knowledge, this is the first peptidomic study in schizophrenia patients.

Morphologic analysis of mice’s pineal gland

The pineal gland or pineal body is an endocrine gland that constitutes an important part of the neuroendocrine system, due to the secretion of melatonin, a hormone responsible for the seasonal organization of several physiologic and behavioral events of an individual’s life. Experimental researches using animals such as rats, mice and rabbits are often found in the extensive specific literature but aspects related to the morphology of mice’s pineal gland are few. Concerning its small size, the present paper performed a microscopic analysis of serial median sagittal sections of the pineal gland of 13 (thirteen) Swiss mice. The pineal gland of Swissmice was found to be in the median plane below the splenium of the corpus callosus, superior and dorsal to the habenular commissure, and rostral to the rostral colliculi. The pineal gland is closely related to the third ventricle and presents itself with a characteristic tonsillar shape with a stalk. Two types of different cells were identified in the gland, that is, astrocytes and pinealocytes, spreading randomly all over the glandular tissue. Calcifications of the pineal gland were not found in any of the observed animals.