2017-2018 Faculty Research Grants
Marlene Murray (Biology)
The Effects of Omega-3 fatty acids on Expression of the INO1 and INM1 genes
Bipolar disorder is a debilitating mood disorder characterized by recurring episodes of mania and depression. It affects 2.6% of adults and has lifetime prevalence among adults of 3.9%. Current mood stabilizers such as lithium and valproate are not always effective for and/or are not well tolerated by a large number of patients. Therefore there is a need to develop or identify more effective and less harmful treatment. Inhibition of the myo-inositol phosphate synthase gene INO1 and the inositol monophosphatase gene INM1 resulting in depletion of inositol has been hypothesized as one mechanism by which these drugs achieve their therapeutic effect. Therefore the goal of this study is to determine the effect of the omega-3 fatty acids decosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on the expression of INM1 and INO1. This will be accomplished using real-time PCR to quantify the mRNA of the INO1 and INM1 genes of cells grown in the presence of DHA and EPA.