Inositol depletion induced by acute treatment of the bipolar disorder drug valproate increases levels of phytosphingosine [Metabolism]

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric illness affecting ~2% of the world population. Valproate (VPA) and lithium, though widely used for the treatment of BD, are not universally effective. These drugs have been shown to cause inositol depletion, but translating this observation to a specific therapeutic mechanism has been difficult, hampering the development of more effective therapies. We have shown previously in yeast that chronic VPA treatment induces the unfolded protein response due to increasing ceramide levels. To gain insight into the mechanisms activated during acute VPA treatment, we performed a genome-wide expression study in yeast treated with VPA for 30 minutes. We observed increased mRNA and protein levels of RSB1, which encodes an exporter of long chain bases (LCBs) dihydrosphingosine (DHS) and phytosphingosine (PHS), and further saw that VPA increased sensitivity of an rsb1Δ mutant to PHS, suggesting that VPA increases LCB levels. Consistent with this, PHS levels were elevated in wild type and, to a greater extent, in rsb1Δ cells. Expression of ORM genes (negative regulators of PHS synthesis) and of fatty acid elongase genes FEN1 and SUR4 were decreased, and expression of YOR1 (exporter of PHS-1P) and DPL1 (lyase that degrades DHS-1P and PHS-1P) was increased. These effects were more pronounced in medium lacking inositol, and were mirrored by inositol starvation of an <Iino1</IΔ ; mutant. These findings provide a metabolic explanation as to how VPA-mediated inositol depletion causes increased synthesis of PHS and further support the therapeutic relevance of inositol depletion as a bipolar disorder treatment.

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