Sarin causes altered time course of mRNA expression of alpha tubulin in the central nervous system of rats

Sarin induced neurotoxicity is suspected to be one of the key factors responsible for Gulf-war syndrome. We studied the effect of a single (50 mug/kg/i.m) dose of sarin (0.5 x LD50) on the mRNA expression of alpha tubulin in the central nervous system (CNS) of rats which were sacrificed at different time points i.e. 1 and 2 hrs, as well as, 1, 3 and 7 days post-treatment. Northern data collected from CNS regions indicate differential, spatial, and temporal regulation of alpha tubulin mRNA levels. Immediate induction and persistence of alpha tubulin transcripts in sarin-treated CNS suggest that sarin-induced neurotoxicity is in part mediated by the altered expression of cytoskeletal genes which may be regulated at multiple levels.