Biología: la vida en la tierra

Contenido: La vida de una célula. Herencia. Evolución y diversidad de la vida. Comportamiento y ecología. Anatomía y fisiología de los animales. Anatomía y fisiología de las plantas...

Differential regulation of c-jun and CREB by acrolein and 4-hydroxynonenal.

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), oxidative stress-induced lipid peroxidation leads to accumulation of unsaturated aldehydes including acrolein and 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) in brain. In this study, we examined the effects of these lipid peroxidation products on apoptotic pathways in cultured neurons. Acrolein and 4HNE increased the levels of active phosphorylated forms of c-jun and CREB, the transcription factors that promote apoptosis and cell survival, respectively. However, they decreased the activity of CREB-dependent BDNF promoter while they increased the activity of promoters responsive to c-jun. We hypothesized that this differential regulation could be due to competition between proapoptotic c-jun and cytoprotective CREB for CBP (CREB-binding protein), a coactivator shared by several transcription factors. In support of this hypothesis, we demonstrate that the decrease of BDNF promoter activity by acrolein and 4HNE could be restored (i) by cotransfection with CBP, (ii) by cotransfection with VP 16-CREB, a constitutively active form of CREB that does not depend on CBP for its activation, or (iii) by inhibiting JNK-mediated c-jun activation. Finally, adenoviral transduction of hippocampal neurons with VP 16-CREB resulted in significant reduction in caspase-3 activation by acrolein and 4HNE. These observations suggest that lipid peroxidation-induced differential regulation of CREB and c-jun might play a role in neurodegeneration in AD.

Differential induction of heme oxygenase and other stress proteins in cultured hippocampal astrocytes and neurons by inorganic lead.

We examined the effects of exposure to inorganic lead (Pb2+) on the induction of stress proteins in cultured hippocampal neurons and astrocytes, with particular emphasis on the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). In radiolabeled neuronal cultures, Pb2+ exposure had no significant effect on the synthesis of any protein at any concentration (up to 250 microM) or duration of exposure (up to 4 days). In radiolabeled astrocyte cultures, however, Pb2+ exposure (100 nM to 100 microM; 1-4 days) increased synthesis of proteins with approximate molecular weights of 23, 32, 45, 57, 72, and 90 kDa. Immunoblot experiments showed that Pb2+ exposure (100 nM to 10 microM, 1-14 days) induces HO-1 synthesis in astrocytes, but not in neurons; this is probably the 32-kDa protein. The other heme oxygenase isoform, HO-2, is present in both neurons and astrocytes, but is not inducible by Pb2+ at concentrations up to 100 microM. HO-1 can be induced by a variety of stimuli. We found that HO-1 induction in astrocytes is increased by combined exposure to Pb2+ and many other stresses, including heat, nitric oxide, H2O2, and superoxide. One of the stimuli that may induce HO-1 is oxidative stress. Lead exposure causes oxidative stress in many cell types, including astrocytes. Induction of HO-1 by Pb2+ is reduced by the hydroxyl radical scavengers dimethylthiourea (DMTU) and mannitol, but not by inhibitors of calmodulin, calmodulin-dependent protein kinases, protein kinase C, or extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK). Therefore, we conclude that oxidative stress is an important mechanism by which Pb2+ induces HO-1 synthesis in astrocytes.

Oxidative stress-mediated down-regulation of bcl-2 promoter in hippocampal neurons.

Generation of oxidative stress/reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the causes of neuronal apoptosis. We have examined the effects of ROS at the transcriptional level in an immortalized hippocampal neuronal cell line (H19-7) and in rat primary hippocampal neurons. Treatment of H19-7 cells with hydrogen peroxide (150 micro m) resulted in a 40% decrease in Bcl-2 protein and a parallel decrease in bcl-2 mRNA levels. H19-7 cells overexpressing bcl-2 were found to be resistant to ROS-induced apoptosis. We had previously shown that bcl-2 promoter activity is positively regulated by the transcription factor cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) in neurons. In the present study, we demonstrate that ROS decreases the activity of luciferase reporter gene driven by a cyclic AMP response element site containing bcl-2 promoter. Exposure of neurons to ROS for 6 h resulted in basal and fibroblast growth factor-2-stimulated phosphorylation/activation of CREB. Chronic 24 h treatment with ROS led to a significant (p < 0.01) decrease in CREB protein and CREB mRNA levels. Adenoviral overexpression of wild type CREB in H19-7 cells resulted in significant (p < 0.01) protection against ROS-induced apoptosis through up-regulation of Bcl-2 expression whereas dominant negative CREB exaggerated the injury. These findings demonstrate that loss of CREB function contributes to oxidative stress-induced neuronal dysfunction.