Abstract
There is a growing concern about the effects of chemicals on the developing nervous system. Chemical exposure at critical periods of development can be associated with effects ranging from subtle to profound on the structure and/or function of the nervous system. Understanding critical biological molecular targets, which underlie chemical-induced neurotoxicity, will provide a scientific basis for risk assessment. Cell signaling molecules such as protein kinase C (PKC) have been shown to play critical roles in motor activity, development of the nervous system, and in learning and memory. PKC also has been shown to be associated with several neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, status epilepticus, and cerebellar ataxia. In the literature, there is abundant information linking PKC to cognitive function, long-term potentiation, or brain structural changes. Here, we show the relationship between changes in PKC (as assayed using radioactive material or by western blots) and the neurotoxic effects caused by environmental chemicals in vitro and in vivo.
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Acknowledgments
Author thanks Mr. Jonathan Besas and Ms. Theresa Freudenrich of USEPA for collection of relevant literature, Mr. Keith Tarpley for graphic assistance, and Dr. Joyce Royland of USEPA and Dr. Chun-Yang Fan of Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC for comments on the earlier version of this chapter. The contents of this article has been reviewed by the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory of the US Environmental Protection Agency, and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Agency nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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Kodavanti, P.R.S. (2011). Cell Signaling and Neurotoxicity: Protein Kinase C In Vitro and In Vivo. In: Costa, L., Giordano, G., Guizzetti, M. (eds) In Vitro Neurotoxicology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 758. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-170-3_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-170-3_21
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