Syntaxin4 and Synapsin3 mRNA Levels Induced by Long-Term Iron Toxicity in Rat (Rattus norvegicus).

Although iron is necessary for brain tissue, its overload causes many metabolic disorders as well as neurodegenerative disorders. Syntaxin4 and synapsin3 are proteins associated with synaptic vesicles that play a role in neurotransmitter release. In this study we investigated the effects of sublethal doses of ferric iron at 0.87 ppm, 3 ppm, 30 ppm and 300 ppm on mRNA levels of genes coding syntaxin4 and synapsin3 proteins that function in nerve cell signal transmission in cortex and hippocampus tissues of rats (Rattus norvegicus). While mRNA level of the syntaxin4 gene was unchanged in the cortex, mRNA level of syntaxin4 decreased with 30 ppm and 300 ppm exposure in the hippocampus. mRNA level of synapsin3 gene in both cortex and hippocampus tissues increased in all treatment groups compared to control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]