Overexpression of PDZ1 domain of PSD-95 protein rescues hippocampal neurons from apoptosis induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation / 生理学报

To detect the effect of PDZ1, domain of postsynaptic density 95 (PSD-95), on apoptosis of hippocampal neurons induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), Sprague-Dawley rat hippocampal neurons were infected with PDZ1-viruses after 21 days of plating. Twenty-four hours after infection, cells were treated with OGD for 1.5 h, then were incubated with DAPI and apoptosis-like cells were characterized, or were collected for co-immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses. The results showed that: (1) PDZ1 overexpression was observed in hippocampal neurons; (2) Apoptosis induced by OGD was obviously decreased in neurons overexpressing PDZ1 (P<0.05); (3) Overexpression of PDZ1 prevented the binding of GluR6 to PSD-95; (4) Overexpression of PDZ1 inhibited MLK3 and JNK1/2 activation induced by OGD. These results indicate that overexpression of PDZ1 may prevent hippocampal neurons from apoptosis induced by OGD.

Ischemia-induced release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and up-regulation of Bcl-2 expression in rat hippocampus / 生理学报

To evaluate the effects of different antagonists on the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol and the expression of Bcl-2 in mitochondria in rat hippocampus after ischemia, we examined Bcl-2 and cytochrome c expression by immunoblotting using 4-vessel occlusion (4-VO) as brain ischemia model. The results showed that after 24 h ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) cytochrome c decreased markedly in mitochondria, which was correspondingly increased in the cytosolic fraction. Bcl-2 expression was time-dependent, reaching its peak level after 6 h I/R. In all those samples, there were no alterations in the subcellular distribution of cytochrome oxidase, a mitochondrial respiratory chain protein. The decreases in Bcl-2 and cytochrome c in mitochondria were restored by pretreatment with non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine or L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel (L-VGCC) antagonist nifedipine at 20 min prior to ischemia. The results demonstrate that the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol and the up-regulation of Bcl-2 are possibly mediated by NMDA receptors or L-VGCC following brain ischemia. Cytochrome c release may be injurious while Bcl-2 up-regulation may be protective to ischemic hippocampus.

Activation of STAT3 induced by cerebral ischemia in rat hippocampus and its possible mechanisms / 生理学报

It has been demonstrated that signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) is activated after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in cortex and striatum. In this study, we investigated whether STAT3 was rapidly activated in hippocampus by cerebral ischemia without reperfusion in four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) model of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The results showed that tyrosine phosphorylation and DNA binding activity of STAT3 was rapidly increased by ischemia. The p-STAT3 level in cytoplasm increased 5 min after occlusion and reached a peak at 10 min following ischemia (1.7 folds vs sham) by means of immunoblotting (IB). P-STAT3 in nucleus was gradually enhanced with its peak activity occurring at 30 min of ischemia (2.3 folds vs sham). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) with STAT3 probe demonstrated that DNA binding activity of STAT3 in nuclear extracts increased from 5 min and peaked at 30 min of ischemia (3.2 folds vs sham). These changes were prevented by genistein (a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), but promoted by sodium orthovanadate (a protein phosphatase inhibitor), which were administered to the SD rats 20 min before ischemia. These results indicate that the activation of STAT3 following cerebral ischemia may be modulated by PTK/PTP, and that this pathway may be of benefit to the adaptation of the hippocampal neurons to oxidative stress.