Prevention of the ß-amyloid peptide-induced inflammatory process by inhibition of double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase in primary murine mixed co-cultures.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There has been little success with anti-inflammatory drugs in AD, while the promise of anti-inflammatory treatment is more evident in experimental models. A new anti-inflammatory strategy requires a better understanding of molecular mechanisms. Among the plethora of signaling pathways activated by ß-amyloid (Aß) peptides, the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway could be an interesting target. In virus-infected cells, double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) controls the NF-κB signaling pathway. It is well-known that PKR is activated in AD. This led us to study the effect of a specific inhibitor of PKR on the Aß42-induced inflammatory response in primary mixed murine co-cultures, allowing interactions between neurons, astrocytes and microglia. METHODS: Primary mixed murine co-cultures were prepared in three steps: a primary culture of astrocytes and microglia for 14 days, then a primary culture of neurons and astrocytes which were cultured with microglia purified from the first culture. Before exposure to Aß neurotoxicity (72 h), co-cultures were treated with compound C16, a specific inhibitor of PKR. Levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 were assessed by ELISA. Levels of PT451-PKR and activation of IκB, NF-κB and caspase-3 were assessed by western blotting. Apoptosis was also followed using annexin V-FITC immunostaining kit. Subcellular distribution of PT451-PKR was assessed by confocal immunofluorescence and morphological structure of cells by scanning electron microscopy. Data were analysed using one-way ANOVA followed by a Newman-Keuls' post hoc test RESULTS: In these co-cultures, PKR inhibition prevented Aß42-induced activation of IκB and NF-κB, strongly decreased production and release of tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-1ß, and limited apoptosis. CONCLUSION: In spite of the complexity of the innate immune response, PKR inhibition could be an interesting anti-inflammatory strategy in AD.

Cytogenetic studies in human cells exposed in vitro to GSM-900 MHz radiofrequency radiation using R-banded karyotyping.

It is important to determine the possible effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation on the genetic material of cells since damage to the DNA of somatic cells may be linked to cancer development or cell death and damage to germ cells may lead to genetic damage in next and subsequent generations. The objective of this study was to investigate whether exposure to radiofrequency radiation similar to that emitted by mobile phones of second-generation standard Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) induces genotoxic effects in cultured human cells. The cytogenetic effects of GSM-900 MHz (GSM-900) RF radiation were investigated using R-banded karyotyping after in vitro exposure of human cells (amniotic cells) for 24 h. The average specific absorption rate (SAR) was 0.25 W/kg. The exposures were carried out in wire-patch cells (WPCs) under strictly controlled conditions of temperature. The genotoxic effect was assessed immediately or 24 h after exposure using four different samples. One hundred metaphase cells were analyzed per assay. Positive controls were provided by using bleomycin. We found no direct cytogenetic effects of GSM-900 either 0 h or 24 h after exposure. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to study genotoxicity using complete R-banded karyotyping, which allows visualizing all the chromosomal rearrangements, either numerical or structural.

Familial 18 centromere variant resulting in difficulties in interpreting prenatal interphase FISH.

We report here on a familial case of centromeric heteromorphism of chromosome 18 detected by prenatal interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis transmitted by the mother to her fetus, and resulting in complete loss of one 18 signal. The prenatal diagnosis was performed by interphase FISH (AneuVysion probe set, and LSI DiGeorge 22q11.2 kit) because of the presence of an isolated fetal cardiac abnormality, and was first difficult to interpret: only one centromeric 18 signal was detectable on prenatal interphase nuclei, along with one signal for the Y and one for the X chromosome. The LSI DiGeorge 22q11.2 kit also showed the absence of one TUPLE 1 signal on all examined nuclei. In fact, the FISH performed on maternal buccal smear displayed the same absence of one chromosome 18 centromeric signal, combined with the presence of two TUPLE1 signals. All these results led to the diagnosis of an isolated 22q11.2 fetal microdeletion that was confirmed on metaphases spreads. This case illustrates once again that the locus specific (LSI) probes are more effective than the alpha centromeric probes for interphase analysis. The development of high-quality LSI probes for chromosomes 18, X and Y could avoid the misinterpretation of prenatal interphase FISH leading to numerous additional and expensive investigations.

Lithium down-regulates tau in cultured cortical neurons: a possible mechanism of neuroprotection.

In tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), the moleccular mechanisms of tau protein agregation into neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and their contribution to neurodegeneration are not fully understood. Recent studies indirectly demonstrated that tau, regardless of its aggregation, might represent a key mediator of neurodegeneration, especially that induced by the amyloid (Abeta) pathology. Lithium is a medication for bipolar mood disorders. Its therapeutic mechanism of action remains unclear, in part because of the large number of biochemical effects attributed to lithium. Since lithium directly inhibits glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK3beta), a key enzyme involved in tau phosphorylation, it was suggested that the therapeutic use of lithium could be expanded from mood disorders to neurodegenerative conditions. Lithium has been also reported to protect cultured neurons against Abeta toxicity, and to prevent NFTs accumulation and cognitive impairments in transgenic models of tauopathies. However, the exact mechanism of neuroprotection provided by lithium remains unknown. Here, we show that exposure of cultured cortical neurons to lithium decreased tau protein levels. This decrease was not linked to the activation of proteolytic processes including calpains, caspases and proteasome or to neuronal loss, but was rather associated with a reduction in tau mRNA levels. Moreover, prior exposure to lithium, at concentrations effective in reducing tau protein levels, markedly reduced pre-aggregated Abeta-induced neuronal apoptosis. Our findings raise the possibility that lithium could exert its neuroprotective effect against Abeta toxicity through the downregulation of tau proteins and that, at least, by acting at the level of tau mRNA.

Blockade of 12-lipoxygenase expression protects cortical neurons from apoptosis induced by beta-amyloid peptide.

The cyclo-oxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways belong to the eicosanoid synthesis pathway, a major component of the chronic inflammatory process occurring in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Clinical studies reported beneficial effects of COX inhibitors, but little is known about the involvement of LOXs in AD pathogenesis. beta-amyloid peptide (A beta) accumulation contributes to neurodegeneration in AD, but mechanisms underlying A beta toxicity have not been fully elucidated yet. Here, using an antisense oligonucleotide-based strategy, we show that blockade of 12-LOX expression prevents both A beta-induced apoptosis and overexpression of c-Jun, a factor required for the apoptotic process, in cortical neurons. Conversely, the 12-LOX metabolite, 12(S)-HETE (12(S)-hydroxy-(5Z, 8Z, 10E, 14Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid), promoted c-Jun-dependent apoptosis. Specificity of the 12-LOX involvement was further supported by the observed lack of contribution of 5-LOX in this process. These data indicate that blockade of 12-LOX expression disrupts a c-Jun-dependent apoptosis pathway, and suggest that 12-LOX may represent a new target for the treatment of AD.

In vivo activation and nuclear translocation of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3beta in neuronal apoptosis: links to tau phosphorylation.

The roles of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) and tau phosphorylation were examined in seven-day-old rats injected with the NMDA receptor antagonist (MK801) that is known to induce neuronal apoptosis. Immunoblot and immunohistochemical analysis of brain samples demonstrated a site-specific increase in tau phosphorylation associated with the relocalization of the protein to the nuclear/perinuclear region of apoptotic neurons. In addition, a tau 32-kDa fragment was detected, suggesting that tau was a target of intracellular proteolysis in MK801-treated brains. The proteolytically modified form of tau has reduced ability to bind to microtubules. GSK-3beta kinase assay and immunoblottings of active (tyrosine-216) and inactive (serine-9) forms of GSK-3beta revealed a rapid and transient increase in the kinase activity. Lithium chloride, a GSK-3beta inhibitor, prevented tau phosphorylation suggesting that tau phosphorylation is mediated by the activation of GSK-3beta. Confocal microscopy using double labelling of tau and GSK-3beta revealed that the activation of GSK-3beta in neurons was associated with early (2 h) nuclear translocation of tyrosine-216 GSK-3beta. The execution phase of neuronal apoptosis was accompanied by a selective phosphorylation of serine-9 and dephosphorylation of tyrosine-216 GSK-3beta. These findings demonstrate that in vivo, GSK-3beta kinase activation and nuclear translocation are early stress signals of neuronal apoptosis.

Markers of apoptosis and models of programmed cell death in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neuropathologically marked by the presence of senile plaques composed of beta-amyloid peptide and by neurofibrillary tangles formed by abnormally phosphorylated tau protein. Many authors have also reported a neuronal loss in affected regions of the brain in AD patients. This neuronal degeneration could be linked to the triggering of intracellular pathways leading to apoptosis. Previous works were focused on the links between neuronal apoptosis and tau and amyloid precursor protein (APP) metabolisms. We have analyzed tau gene expression in primary neuronal cultures submitted to an apoptotic stress produced by excitotoxicity or serum deprivation. Glutamate induces an enhancement of tau gene expression in resistant neurons whereas a reduced expression is noted in apoptotic cells. This decrease is similar to what is observed after trophic support withdrawal in neuronal cultures. Neurons expressing phosphorylated tau are more resistant to experimental apoptosis than neurons positively labeled for dephosphorylated tau protein (AT8/Tau 1 epitope). In vitro apoptotic neurons are able to produce membrane blebbings (strongly immunopositive for APP and amyloidogenic fragments) that are secondary released in the extracellular space. Finally neurons overexpressing human mutated presenilin 1 (M146 L) are more prone to degenerate than neurons overexpressing human wild-type presenilin 1 after apoptosis induction.

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockade enhances neuronal apoptosis induced by serum deprivation.

Neuronal apoptosis a hallmark of brain development could also be involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Glutamate toxicity is widely proposed as an important factor in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. We show here that, in rat primary cortical cultures, the blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors exacerbated neuronal apoptosis induced by serum deprivation. This effect is observed at early stage of cultures (9 days in vitro (DIV)) and mildly decreases in more mature cultures (13 and 15 DIV). At the opposite, low concentrations of NMDA (5 microM) or glutamate (5 microM) prevented the neuronal apoptosis induced by trophic support withdrawal. In primary cortical cultures, the proapoptotic effect of trophic support removal can be modulated by NMDA receptors depending upon the magnitude of these glutamate receptor activation.

Mild kainate toxicity produces selective motoneuron death with marked activation of CA(2+)-permeable AMPA/kainate receptors.

Motoneuron death could be produced by higher sensitivity to excitoxicity during the development and pathological conditions. We report here that in ventral spinal cord cultures mild kainate exposure (12.5 microM, 20 min or 100 microM, 2.5 min) induced selective cobalt stain of motoneurons, indicating a specific Ca2+ entry through the Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA/kainate receptors. This result was associated with a selective motoneuron death as previously described. In these cultures, motoneuron immunoreactivity for the Ca2+ buffering protein, calretinin was negative. These findings suggest that the selective motoneuron death due to a mild excitotoxic insult could be linked to a marked Ca2+ influx associated with the lack of some Ca2+ buffering proteins.

Characterization of human presenilin 1 transgenic rats: increased sensitivity to apoptosis in primary neuronal cultures.

Mutations in the gene for presenilin 1 are causative for the majority of cases of early onset familial Alzheimer's disease. Yet, the physiological function of presenilin 1 and the pathological mechanisms of the mutations leading to Alzheimer's disease are still unknown. To analyse potential pathological effects of presenilin 1 over-expression, we have generated transgenic rats which express high levels of human presenilin 1 protein in the brain. The over-expression of presenilin 1 leads to saturation of its normal processing and to the appearance of full-length protein in the transgenic rat brain. The transgenic protein is expressed throughout the brain and is predominantly found in neuronal cells. Cultured primary cortical neurons derived from these transgenic rats are significantly more sensitive than non-transgenic controls to apoptosis induced by standard culture conditions and to apoptosis induced by trophic factor withdrawal. Furthermore, the observed apoptosis is directly correlated with the expression of the transgenic protein. The results further emphasize the role of presenilin 1 in apoptotic cell death in native neuronal cultures.

Brefeldin A-induced apoptosis is expressed in rat neurons with dephosphorylated tau protein.

Brefeldin A (BFA) is a fungus metabolite (penicillum brefeldanum) that is known to produce the disintegration of the Golgi apparatus in exposed cells, and apoptosis in various cancer cells. This study reports that in rat primary cortical cell cultures BFA also produces apoptosis assessed by the TUNEL method and DAPI (4',6-diemidino-2-phenylindole) staining. The percentages of apoptotic neurons range from 26.9% +/- 8.3 to 43.2 +/- 2.5% in cultures exposed from 4 to 8 h to BFA (10 microg/ml). A double fluorescent staining, using AT8 antibody (phosphorylated tau) or tau1 antibody (dephosphorylated tau) associated with DAPI labeling reveals that tau1 positive neurons are more sensitive to BFA-induced apoptosis compared to AT8 positive neurons. This result and previous results using other apoptosis inducers suggest that tau phosphorylation in the vicinity of the AT8-tau1 epitopes is a marker of resistance or sensitivity to neuronal apoptosis in rat cortical cell cultures.

FK506 antagonizes apoptosis and c-jun protein expression in neuronal cultures.

FK506 is an immunosuppressive drug that binds to FK506 binding protein (FKBPs), a subgroup of cytosolic proteins called immunophillins. Previous works have revealed that FK506 protects neural cells from ischemia or excitotoxicity. Here we report that FK506 (10(-6) M) and not cyclosporine A (10(-6) M) blocks neuronal apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in rat neuronal cultures. In addition the immunohistochemical staining of C-jun protein in deprived cultures is markedly attenuated by FK506. The proportion of C-jun-positive neurons in control cultures, in serum-deprived cultures (48 h) and in serum-deprived cultures exposed to FK506 (10(-6) M) were 12.5%, 56.5% and 16.5%, respectively. The down-regulation of C-jun could play a major role in the anti-apoptotic action of FK506 in stressed neuronal cultures.

Neuronal apoptosis is associated with a decrease in tau mRNA expression.

Apoptosis is a programmed cell death that occurs during the development of the nervous system and in neurodegenerative disorders. Tau protein is a microtubule-associated protein which promotes microtubule polymerization and stabilization. Apoptosis was induced in primary neuronal cultures by glutamate exposure (200 microM, 15 min) or by serum deprivation, and tau mRNA levels were studied by quantitative in situ hybridization in apoptotic and non apoptotic neurons. Compared to controls, tau mRNA expression was decreased in apoptotic neurons produced by excitotoxicity or trophic support withdrawal. Under these conditions, resistant neurons to apoptosis display either increased tau mRNA levels after glutamate exposure or a stable tau mRNA expression after serum deprivation. In conclusion, in this in vitro model, neurons which are resistant and sensitive to apoptosis can be differentiated according to tau mRNA expression.

Effects of depolarizing stimuli on calcium homeostasis in cultured rat motoneurones.

Intracellular calcium concentrations in individual rat motoneurones in enriched primary cultures were measured by Indo-1 fluorimetry. Motoneurones in the cultures were characterized morphometrically and by cholineacetyltransferase immunocytochemistry. Depolarization of the cells with glutamic acid or veratridine increased intracellular calcium levels, which returned to baseline only slowly after removal of the depolarizing agent. The use of selective agonists (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, AMPA, kainic acid, quisqualic acid and 1R-3S-ACPD) and antagonists (MK 801 and CNQX) showed that the excitatory amino acid-evoked responses were mediated by AMPA/kainate receptors rather than by NMDA receptors. Depolarization-evoked calcium transients in motoneurones are blocked by the neuroprotective drug riluzole Calcium transients reflected entry of calcium from without the cell, and their blockade by nitrendipine and lanthanum chloride suggested that this entry took place primarily through voltage-dependent calcium channels. These findings may be relevant for understanding the selective vulnerability of motoneurones to excitotoxicity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the therapeutic activity of riluzole in the treatment of this disease.

Neuronal APP accumulates in toxic membrane blebbings.

The occurence of plasma membrane blebbings is an early cytotoxic event, associated with the reorganization of cytoskeletal proteins, the alteration of interactions between the plasma membrane and the underlying cytoskeleton. The blebbing formation remains poorly understood but the involvement of cytosolic Ca2+ and the production of free radicals may contribute to this cellular phenomenom. The amyloid precursor protein (APP), is a transmembrane protein that can be cleaved to produce the beta amyloid peptide (Abeta) which accumulates in brain senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease. Our study reveals that the exposure of rat and human (hNT) neuronal cultures to a mild concentration of the excitotoxin NMDA slowly induces perturbations of the neuronal cytoskeleton and the occurence of plasma membrane blebbings. An immunocytochemical study using four different APP antibodies demonstrates that these membrane blebs are also associated with a redistribution and an accumulation of cellular APP. This phenomenon is linked to a Ca2+-influx through NMDA-receptors since it is prevented by the NMDA antagonist MK801 or by Ca2+-depleted conditions. In conclusion this study shows that neuronal degeneration induced by slow excitotoxicity, is associated with the presence of APP-accumulating blebs, that can be secondly released in the extracellular region.

Antioxidant drugs block in vitro the neurotoxicity of CSF from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurological disease characterized by upper and lower motoneurone degeneration. Excitotoxicity and oxidative stress have been proposed as possible aetiological factors. We measured the neuronal death induced in rat cortical cell cultures by CSF taken from seven ALS patient and seven control subjects with lumbar radiculopathies. Cultures were exposed to CSF for 48 h at a dilution of 1:4. Some cultures were also exposed to antioxidant drugs, the free radical scavenger vitamin E (250 microM) and the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol (50 microM), alone or combined. The mean neuronal death rate was 31.8 +/- 3.4% in cultures exposed to ALS CSF and 10.9 +/- 1.8% in cultures exposed to control CSF. The cytotoxicity of ALS CSF was partially blocked by vitamin E (21.6 +/- 3%) or by allopurinol (18.6 +/- 2.7%). The combination of these two antioxidants reduced the toxicity from 31.8 +/- 3.4% to 10.6 +/- 1.7%. The present work suggests that neurotoxicity induced by CSF from patients with ALS indirectly involves free radicals. A combination of allopurinol and vitamin E may be useful in ALS therapy.