C-Jun N-terminal kinases/c-Jun and p38 pathways cooperate in ceramide-induced neuronal apoptosis

Rat retinal ganglion cells upregulate the pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein Bim after optic nerve transection

Increased expression of Bim, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, has been shown to be critical for neuronal apoptosis. To study the involvement of Bim in injury-induced cell death in retina, Bim expression was studied in normal rat retina and in retina after optic nerve transection using quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. As a complement to this, the apoptotic regulators Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and phosphorylated c-jun were studied. The relative levels of Bim mRNA in retina were significantly higher 4 days after optic nerve transection and below normal levels at 14 days after transection. A parallel increase in the number of Bim-immunoreactive cells in the retinal ganglion cell layer could be seen. Bim-immunoreactivity localized to retrogradely True Blue-labeled retinal ganglion cells. The relative mRNA levels for both Bax and Bcl-2 were higher at 4 days after transection when compared to normal. Immunoreactivity for Bax, Bcl-2 as well as for caspase-3 and phosphorylated c-jun, indicative of cell death, localized to True Blue-identified retinal ganglion cells 4 days after injury. Bcl-2 immunoreactivity was also seen on other cells, most likely Müller glia cells. In addition, optic nerve transection caused an increase in Bim, Bax, and Bcl-2 mRNA levels in optic nerve and superior colliculus. Our results suggest that Bim is involved in injury-induced retinal ganglion cell death and indicate that the increase in Bim and Bax expression promote cell death of axotomized retinal ganglion cells whereas the elevation in Bcl-2 in retina may contribute to the control of the extent of apoptosis after the optic nerve transection.

Ceramide pathways modulate ethanol-induced cell death in astrocytes

We showed previously that alcohol exposure during in vivo brain development induced astroglial damage and caused cell death. Because ceramide modulates a number of biochemical and cellular responses to stress, including apoptosis, we now investigate whether ethanol-induced cell death in astrocytes is mediated by ceramide signalling pathways triggering apoptosis. Here we show that both ethanol and ceramide are able to induce apoptotic death in cultured astrocytes, in a dose-dependent manner, and that C2-ceramide addition potentiates the apoptotic effects of ethanol. Cell death induced by ethanol is associated with stimulation of neutral and acidic sphingomyelinase (SMase) and ceramide generation, as well as with activation of stress-related kinases, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways. We also provide evidence for the participation of JNK and p38 in ethanol-induced cell death, because pharmacological inhibitors of these kinases largely prevent the apoptosis induced by ethanol or by ethanol and C2-ceramide. Furthermore, we show that ethanol-induced ERK activation triggers the stimulation of cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) and the release of prostaglandin E2, and that blockade of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/ERK pathway by PD98059 abolishes the up-regulation of COX-2 induced by ethanol plus ceramide, and decreases the ethanol-induced apoptosis. These results strongly suggest that ethanol is able to stimulate the SMase-ceramide pathway, leading to the activation of signalling pathways implicated in cell death. These findings provide an insight into the mechanisms involved in ethanol-induced astroglial cell death during brain development.

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Inhibition of Apoptosis Requires Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphatase-1 in Mouse Fibroblast C3H10T½ Cells

The roles of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) activation and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) were examined in sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-mediated inhibition of apoptosis in C3H10T 1/2 fibroblast cells. Apoptosis induced by the ceramide analog, C8-ceramine, was inhibited by S1P (ceramine/S1P). Stress activated protein kinase or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) activation was significantly higher after ceramine and ceramine/S1P treatments. Ceramine/S1P treatment also significantly increased ERK activation and MKP-1 protein levels. ERK activation was required for the inhibition of apoptosis by S1P as shown using the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor, PD98059. Transfection with a dominant negative mutant construct of the MKP-1 gene prevented S1P inhibition of apoptosis and resulted in sustained SAPK/JNK activity. The MKP-1 mutant did not affect ERK activity, indicating that MKP-1 preferentially down-regulates SAPK/JNK in C3H10T 1/2 cells. Finally, the S1P activation of ERK and inhibition of apoptosis were reduced by pertussis toxin treatment, suggesting that G-protein-coupled receptors, such as the endothelial differentiation gene (EDG) receptor, play a role. Thus, both ERK activation and MKP-1, which down-regulates SAPK/JNK, are required for S1P-mediated inhibition of apoptosis.

Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways during the death of PC12 cells is dependent on the state of differentiation

PC12 cells that are differentiated with NGF and cAMP become totally dependent on these factors for their survival, unlike those that are differentiated with NGF alone. We have asked whether the MAP Kinases, ERKs, JNKs and p38s play a role in the cell death induced by withdrawal of trophic factors on NGF- and NGF/cAMP-differentiated PC12 cells. By Western-blot analyses with antibodies directed against the activated forms of these kinases, we show that when the trophic factors were withdrawn, ERK phosphorylation was reduced to very low levels within 1 h in both cases. Changes in the other enzymes were observed only in the NGF/cAMP-differentiated cells, in which the JNK phosphorylation increased about 160% by 6 h and that of p38 increased linearly to at least 18-fold throughout the cell death process. The increases in p38 and JNK phosphorylation were implicated in the death of the cells, since the p38 inhibitor PD169316 and the JNK inhibitor SP600125 were protective. These results demonstrate that the state of differentiation of PC12 cells, a model for the differentiation of sympathetic neurons, determines their vulnerability to cell death by modifying the state of phosphorylation and the regulation of specific kinases implicated in signal transduction pathways that are responsible for the survival or the death of these cells.