Binding of Colchicine to Tubulin in the Brain Structures in Normal Conditions and in Schizophrenia

Abstract—One of the components of the cytoskeleton is microtubules (MT), a complex intracellular system, damage to which may cause disturbances that lead to the development of pathological processes in the cell. This gives rise to the study of tubulin, the main MT protein, in schizophrenia. To assess the relative amount of tubulin, its specific property to bind colchicine at an equimolar ratio was used. The aim of the study was to determine the level of colchicine binding (the colchicine-binding activity of tubulin) in various brain structures under normal conditions and in schizophrenia. The study was performed with samples of the structures of the postmortem brain of patients with schizophrenia (n = 7) and individuals in the control group (n = 15). The colchicine-binding activity of tubulin was determined using the Scherline method in tubulin-rich protein extracts (a single polymerization-depolymerization). In the prefrontal (area 10), limbic (area 23/24), and temporal (area 21) cerebral cortex of patients with schizophrenia, a significant decrease in the colchicine-binding activity of tubulin was observed in comparison with the control. In the thalamus, colchicine-binding activity in schizophrenia did not change relative to the control, but it was lower than in the areas of the cortex. In schizophrenia, we observed a decrease in the colchicine-binding activity of tubulin in the prefrontal (area 10), limbic (area 23/24), and temporal (area 21) cerebral cortex but not in the thalamus (subcortical structure of the brain).