Grid1 expression in male rats at 21 days withdrawal from chronic intermittent ethanol exposure
Description
Substance use disorders are chronic health conditions that contribute a substantial burden on individuals and the healthcare system. Understanding how these disorders develop and are maintained across the life span of afflicted individuals will aid in the development of treatment plans and potential therapeutics. It is known that during withdrawal from drug use, functional alterations occur that predispose an individual’s risk to return to drug use. This study seeks to identify if any modifications in the structure of neuronal communication sites play a role in the development or expression of specific protein receptors. As such, we are exploring the expression of Grid1, a delta type glutamate receptor that assists in the formation of synaptic connections between neurons. We hypothesize that Grid1 is dynamically regulated in response to withdrawal state dependent alterations in glutamate receptor function. To conduct these studies, male rats were exposed to vaporized ethanol over time and subsequently placed into forced abstinence of 21 days. Brains were extracted and treated with biotin (sulfo-NHS-S-S-biotin) to label extracellular proteins. Using western blot techniques and Grid1 antibodies we measured the relative level of protein expression in our samples, in comparison to control animals using t-tests (p< 0.05 for significance). Preliminary data is still being collected for this study. This data will be combined across a range of withdrawal times to gain a clearer understanding of how Grid1 expression is regulated during ethanol withdrawal.
Citation Information
Pedone, Simon R.; Giles, Jennifer; Boyer, Michael; and Christian, Daniel T., "Grid1 expression in male rats at 21 days withdrawal from chronic intermittent ethanol exposure" (2026). Office of Research DMU Research Symposium. 53.
https://digitalcommons.dmu.edu/researchsymposium/2025rs/2025abstracts/53
Grid1 expression in male rats at 21 days withdrawal from chronic intermittent ethanol exposure
Substance use disorders are chronic health conditions that contribute a substantial burden on individuals and the healthcare system. Understanding how these disorders develop and are maintained across the life span of afflicted individuals will aid in the development of treatment plans and potential therapeutics. It is known that during withdrawal from drug use, functional alterations occur that predispose an individual’s risk to return to drug use. This study seeks to identify if any modifications in the structure of neuronal communication sites play a role in the development or expression of specific protein receptors. As such, we are exploring the expression of Grid1, a delta type glutamate receptor that assists in the formation of synaptic connections between neurons. We hypothesize that Grid1 is dynamically regulated in response to withdrawal state dependent alterations in glutamate receptor function. To conduct these studies, male rats were exposed to vaporized ethanol over time and subsequently placed into forced abstinence of 21 days. Brains were extracted and treated with biotin (sulfo-NHS-S-S-biotin) to label extracellular proteins. Using western blot techniques and Grid1 antibodies we measured the relative level of protein expression in our samples, in comparison to control animals using t-tests (p< 0.05 for significance). Preliminary data is still being collected for this study. This data will be combined across a range of withdrawal times to gain a clearer understanding of how Grid1 expression is regulated during ethanol withdrawal.
