Effect of brain ischemia on protein kinase C

Effects of transient forebrain ischemia on long-term enhancement of dopamine release in rat striatal slices

We studied the effects of transient forebrain ischemia in vivo on long-term enhancement of dopamine (DA) release from rat striatal slices. One hour after the high-frequency tetanic stimulation (HFTS) or L-glutamate (10(-6) M) application in Mg(2+)-free medium to striatal slices, the high concentration of KCl (high K+)-evoked DA release was measured. Tetanic stimulation or L-glutamate application significantly potentiated the high-K(+)-evoked DA release. When striatal slices were prepared from rats exposed to 3 min of ischemia followed by 24-h survival, the enhancement of DA release by HFTS was unaffected by ischemia. In contrast, the enhancement of DA release by HFTS was impaired in rats exposed to 5 min or 10 min of ischemia. In addition, high K(+)-evoked DA release per se was significantly impaired by 10 min of ischemia. The enhancement of DA release elicited by pretreatment with L-glutamate was also impaired in the rats exposed to 5 min of ischemia. When striatal slices were prepared from rats exposed to 5 min of ischemia with 7-day survival, the enhancement of DA release by HFTS was still impaired. The present results indicate that the neuronal mechanisms of the enhancement of DA release may be more sensitive to impairment from short periods of ischemia. Furthermore, the results suggest that an impairment of long-term enhancement of DA release by ischemia may be related the dysfunction of motor performance in rats exposed to ischemia.

Modulation of ischemic signal by antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate, nitric oxide synthase, and platelet-activating factor in gerbil hippocampus

Cerebral ischemia in the gerbil results in early hippocampal changes, which include transient activation and/or translocation of protein kinase C (PKC), increased enzymatic activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), and elevated DNA binding ability of activator protein-1 (AP1). The time-course of all three of these postischemic responses was found to be almost parallel, peaking at 3 hr after the ischemic insult. The effectiveness of known modulators of postischemic morphological outcome (MK-801, L-NAME, and gingkolides BN 52020 and BN 52021) in counteracting the induction of PKC, ODC, and AP1 formation was tested. These drugs were administrated as followed: MK-801 (a noncompetitive inhibitor of NMDA channel), 0.8 mg/kg i.p., 30 min before ischemia, and 5 min after the insult; L-NAME (competitive inhibitor of NO synthase), 10 mg/kg i.p., 30 min before ischemia, and 5 mg/kg, 5 min after ischemia; BN52020 and BN52021 (inhibitors of platelet-activating factor: PAF receptors) were administered as a suspension in 5% ethanol in water by oral route, 10 mg/kg for 3 days before ischemia. Three of these drugs, MK-801, L-NAME, and BN52021, significantly reduced ischemia-elevated activity of PKC and ODC, whereas AP1 formation was only partially attenuated. Our observations implicate the existence of different mechanism(s) for postischemic PKC and ODC activation, which in turn is engaged in AP1 induction.

Oxidant-induced activation of protein kinase C in UC11MG cells

Free radical formation and subsequent lipid peroxidation may participate in the pathogenesis of tissue injury, including the brain injury induced by hypoxia or trauma and cardiac injury arising from ischemia and reperfusion. However, the exact cellular mechanisms by which the initial oxidative insult leads to the ultimate tissue damage are not known. A number of reports have indicated that protein kinase C (PKC) may be activated following oxidative stress and that this enzyme may play an important role in the steps leading to cellular damage. In this work, we have examined in a cell model whether PKC is activated following oxidative exposure. UC11MG cells, a human astrocytoma cell line, were treated with H2O2. Incubation with 0.5 mM H2O2 increased malondialdehyde levels by as early as 15 minutes. To assess the effects of H2O2 treatment on PKC activation, we measured phosphorylation of an endogenous PKC substrate, the MARCKS (myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate) protein. Treatment of cells with 0.2-1.0 mM H2O2 resulted in a rapid increase in MARCKS phosphorylation. Phosphorylation was stimulated approximately 2.5-fold following treatment with 0.5 mM H2O2 for ten minutes. Treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a PKC activator, increased MARCKS phosphorylation approximately 4-fold. The H2O2-induced MARCKS phosphorylation was inhibited by the addition of the kinase inhibitors H-7 and staurosporine. Furthermore, specific down-regulation of PKC by phorbol ester also inhibited H2O2-induced MARCKS phosphorylation. These results indicate that PKC is rapidly activated in cells following an oxidative exposure and that this cell system may be a good model to further investigate the role of PKC in regulating oxidative damage in the cell.

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors mediate post-traumatic increases of protein kinase C in rat brain

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to traumatic brain injury (TBI) using a lateral fluid percussion-induced injury model. Effects of varying severities of TBI (mild = 1.1 +/- 0.1 atm; moderate = 2.2 +/- 0.2 atm; severe = 2.9 +/- 0.1 atm) on the levels of protein kinase C in rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus were investigated by quantitative autoradiography using [3H]phorboldibutyrate ester ([3H]PDBu) binding as a marker. Binding of [3H]PDBu in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus was increased bilaterally following TBI, with changes related to injury severity. Significant increases were observed in hippocampus of injured animals, as compared to sham-operated controls, at 1 h after trauma. Maximum levels of binding in both cerebral cortex and hippocampus were reached by 3 h, with a return to control levels at 6 h and 72 h, respectively. Treatment with MK-801 (1 mg/kg, i.v.) administered 15 min before trauma prevented the injury-induced increase of [3H]PDBu binding in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. These results demonstrate that TBI induces bilateral, time-dependent increases of protein kinase C in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex that are related to injury severity. Changes are mediated by actions at NMDA receptors, probably reflecting post-traumatic release of glutamate.

Decreased protein phosphorylation induced by anoxia in proximal renal tubules

Anoxia-induced depletion of cellular ATP may affect the degree of protein phosphorylation due to kinase inhibition. In this study, protein phosphorylation was measured in rabbit kidney proximal tubules under normoxic or anoxic conditions in a medium containing 32P. During the first 20 min of normoxia, phosphate incorporation was linear, averaging 17 +/- 5 pmol.mg protein-1.min-1 and was 70% inhibited by the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine chloride. Phosphorylation measurements initiated simultaneously with anoxic conditions (95% N2-5% CO2) significantly reduced the initial rate to 58% of control, saturating after 15 min, and reaching 28 +/- 5% of the normoxic value after 60 min of incubation. The phosphatase inhibitor calyculin A did not affect the initial rate of phosphate incorporation by anoxic tubules but increased phosphate incorporation at 60 min to 43 +/- 4% of normoxia. Addition of 32P after 15 min of anoxia abolished phosphate incorporation, demonstrating that kinase activity was completely inhibited. Cellular phosphate uptake was measured and found not to be rate limiting for phosphorylation. Chelerythrine chloride increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release during normoxia, and calyculin A decreased anoxia-induced LDH release, suggesting that protein phosphorylation events may control plasma membrane permeability.

Glutamate-induced protein phosphorylation in cerebellar granule cells: role of protein kinase C

Protein phosphorylation in response to toxic doses of glutamate has been investigated in cerebellar granule cells. 32P-labelled cells have been stimulated with 100 microM glutamate for up to 20 min and analysed by one and two dimensional gel electrophoresis. A progressive incorporation of label is observed in two molecular species of about 80 and 43 kDa (PP80 and PP43) and acidic isoelectric point. Glutamate-stimulated phosphorylation is greatly reduced by antagonists of NMDA and non-NMDA glutamate receptors. The effect of glutamate is mimicked by phorbol esters and is markedly reduced by inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) such as staurosporine and calphostin C. PP80 has been identified by Western blot analysis as the PKC substrate MARCKS (myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate), while antibody to GAP-43 (growth associated protein-43), the nervous tissue-specific substrate of PKC, failed to recognize PP43. Our results suggest that PKC is responsible for the early phosphorylative events induced by toxic doses of glutamate in cerebellar granule cells.

Enhanced maximal binding capacity (Bmax) of second messenger ligand in the acute phase of cerebral ischemia--direct visualization by digital image analysis

Autoradiographic visualization of the Bmax (maximal binding capacity) and Kd (dissociation constant) of [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) and [3H]forskolin (FK) was performed after 30-min unilateral carotid artery occlusion in the gerbil brain. These parameters and the local cerebral blood flow (CBF) were measured at the level of the caudate-putamen in the same brain using a digital image processing technique developed in our laboratory. The local CBF was measured at the end of the experiment. [3H]PDBu and [3H]FK were utilized as specific ligands to assess the activities of protein kinase C (PKC) and adenylate cyclase (AC), respectively. The local CBF on the occluded side was severely reduced and ranged from 0.2 to 9.0 ml/100 g/min, whereas the local CBF on the non-occluded side exhibited a moderate reduction except in the midline regions. The Bmax values of PDBu and FK were significantly increased not only on the occluded side but also on the non-occluded side in the ischemia group as compared to the corresponding values in the sham group. In contrast, the Kd value of each ligand remained unchanged in the ischemia group. These findings suggest that both the adenylate cyclase and protein kinase C systems may be significantly and diffusely activated in the initial stage of brain ischemia. Thus, severe hemispheric cerebral ischemia in the acute phase may induce severe perturbation of the second messenger systems in extensive bilateral regions.

Protein kinase C activation attenuates N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced increases in intracellular calcium in cerebellar granule cells

Activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptor increases levels of intracellular calcium and can lead to stimulation of protein kinase C activity. Several reports have demonstrated that stimulation of protein kinase C can, in turn, increase electrophysiological responses to NMDA in certain cells or in oocytes expressing certain NMDA receptor subunits. In the present study, the effects of protein kinase C activation on NMDA receptor-mediated increases in intracellular Ca2+ level were investigated in primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells using fura-2 fluorescence spectroscopy. Pretreatment of the cells with the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), but not the inactive analogue 4 alpha-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, inhibited NMDA-induced increases in intracellular Ca2+ levels. Coincubation of cells with PMA and the kinase inhibitor staurosporine or calphostin C blocked the PMA effect. The potency of NMDA was reduced twofold, and the potency of the NMDA receptor co-agonist, glycine, to enhance the response to NMDA was decreased fourfold by pretreatment of cells with PMA. The effect on glycine was mimicked by pretreatment with okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase inhibitor. PMA treatment did not significantly alter Mg2+ inhibition of the NMDA response but decreased the potency of the competitive antagonist CGS-19755. These data suggest that, in cerebellar granule cells, the function of the NMDA receptor may be subject to feed-back inhibition by protein kinase C stimulation. Under physiological conditions, this inhibition may result from a decreased effectiveness of the endogenous co-agonists, glutamate and glycine.

mRNA levels of Ca(2+)-independent forms of protein kinase C in postischemic gerbil brain by northern blot analysis

To investigate the role of Ca(2+)-independent forms of protein kinase C (PKC) in ischemic neuronal injury, mRNA expression of PKC was studied by Northern blot analysis. Ischemia was produced in gerbils by 10-min bilateral carotid artery occlusion and was followed by recirculation for 15 min, 6 h, and 24 h. Brains of postischemic and sham-operated animals were removed, forebrains fresh frozen, and processed for Northern blot analysis. Three synthetic oligonucleotide probes based on published cDNA sequences of rat brain PKC for the isozymes delta, epsilon, and zeta were utilized for hybridization. Northern blot analysis showed increased hybridization signal for all three PKC isozymes examined in the 6- and 24-h postischemic groups. Of these, the twofold increases in the expression of PKC delta and zeta were statistically significant in comparison to the control. These results suggest that the mRNA levels of Ca(2+)-independent forms of PKC, in particular, delta and zeta, are temporally stimulated by ischemic injury in the brain and may imply an important role of the enzyme in postischemic neuronal damage. However, since the protein itself was not examined in this study, the significance of the increased expression cannot be ascertained. However, it may reflect a compensatory response to the loss of PKC reported to occur in the reperfusion phase.

Time course of the translocation and inhibition of protein kinase C during complete cerebral ischemia in the rat

The time course for the ischemia-induced changes in the subcellular distribution of protein kinase C (PKC) (alpha), (beta II), and (gamma) and the activity of PKC were studied in the neocortex of rats subjected to 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 15 min of global cerebral ischemia. In the particulate fraction, a 14-fold increase in PKC (gamma) levels was seen at 3 min of ischemia, which further increased at 5-15 min of ischemia. At 15 min of ischemia, PKC (alpha) and (beta II) levels had increased two- and six-fold, respectively. In the cytosolic fraction, a transient early 1.4-fold increase in PKC (beta II) and PKC (gamma) levels was seen, whereas no change in the levels PKC (alpha) was noted. PKC (gamma) levels then progressively declined, reaching 50% at 15 min of ischemia. At 5 min of ischemia, a 43% decrease in PKC activity was seen in the particulate fraction, reaching 50% at 15 min of ischemia concomitant with a 27% decrease in the cytosolic fraction. There was no change in the activator-independent PKC activity. Pretreatment with the ganglioside AGF2 prevented the redistribution of PKC (gamma) in the particulate fraction at 5 min, but not at 10 min of ischemia. The observed time course for the translocation of PKC (gamma) parallels the ischemia-induced release of neurotransmitters and increased levels of diacylglycerols, arachidonate, and increased levels of diacylglycerols, arachidonate, and intracellular calcium and delineates this subspecies as especially ischemia-sensitive. Ganglioside pretreatment delayed the translocation of PKC (gamma), possibly by counter-acting the effects of ischemia-induced factors that favor PKC binding to cell membranes.

Protein kinase C as an early and sensitive marker of ischemia-induced progressive neuronal damage in gerbil hippocampus

In the model of transient brain ischemia of 6-min duration in gerbils we have estimated: 1. The concentration of brain gangliosides: A significant decrease to about 70% of control was observed selectively in the hippocampus at 3 and 7 d after ischemia. 2. The activity of Na+,K(+)-ATPase: The enzyme activity was not affected in either hippocampus nor in cerebral cortex. 3. The malonaldehyde (MDA) concentration: The levels of MDA had increased at 30 min after ischemia up to 123 and 129% of control in hippocampus and cerebral cortex, respectively. 4. Immunoreactivity of protein kinase C detected by Western blotting: In hippocampus the early translocation toward membranes was followed by a decrease in total enzyme content at 6, 24, 72, and 96 h of postischemic recovery. Also, a sharp increase of 50 kDa isoform (PKM) was noticed immediately and at the early recovery times. The behavior of these biochemical markers of ischemic brain injury in the hippocampus after the short (6 min) insult was contrasted with their reaction in the cerebral cortex as well as after prolongation of the ischemia to 15 min. These results taken together indicate that an early increase in PKC translocation followed by a decrease is the most symptomatic for selective, delayed, postischemic hippocampal injury, resulting from short duration (6 min) ischemia of the gerbil brain.

Physical activity enhances spatial learning performance with an associated alteration in hippocampal protein kinase C activity in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice

The effects of physical activity on spatial learning performance and associated hippocampal functioning were examined in C57BL/6Ibg (C57) and DBA/2Ibg (DBA) mice. C57 and DBA mice, 3 months of age, were subjected to 8 weeks of a physical activity regime (consisting of moderate-pace treadmill running 5 days/week, 60 min/day, 0% grade, 12 m/min) or remained sedentary in their cages. Mice were then tested on the Morris water maze task for 6 days followed by 12 days of testing on the place learning-set task (8 trials/day with each task). Both C57 and DBA run mice showed no difference in swim speed compared to controls. Hippocampal protein kinase C (PKC) activity was measured in cytosolic, loosely bound, and membrane-bound homogenate fractions. Mice subjected to the physical activity protocol were compared to sedentary controls from the same set of litters. Physical activity produced a 2- to 12-fold enhancement in spatial learning performance on both the Morris (P < 0.0001) and place learning-set (P < 0.02) probe trials in both C57 and DBA mice. DBA mice, which characteristically perform poorly in comparison to C57 mice, were enhanced to perform similarly to C57 control mice. This physical activity-induced enhancement in spatial learning performance was accompanied by alterations in hippocampal bound PKC activity (P < 0.05). These data provide further support for our previous hypotheses of a PKC activity involvement in spatial learning and enhancement of spatial learning performance in rodents by physical activity. In addition, these data indicate that hippocampal PKC activity may be involved in the physical activity-induced enhancement of spatial learning performance.

Reduction in second-messenger ligand binding sites after brain ischemia--autoradiographic Bmax and Kd determinations using digital image analysis

Changes in forskolin (FK) and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) binding were evaluated in relation to local cerebral blood flow (CBF) after 6-h unilateral carotid artery occlusion in the gerbil striatum employing a quantitative autoradiographic method, which permitted these three parameters to be measured in the same brain. CBF was measured by the [14C]iodoantipyrine method at the end of the experiment. [3H]FK and [3H]PDBu were utilized as specific ligands to assess the activity of adenylate cyclase (AC) and protein kinase C (PKC), respectively. A saturation study was undertaken to measure the Kd (dissociation constant) and Bmax (maximal binding capacity) of each ligand by digital image processing of sequential autoradiograms employing pixel-by-pixel Scatchard analysis. The Bmax values of FK and PDBu were significantly decreased on the ischemic side, but the reduction in Bmax of FK was greater than that of PDBu. The K4 of each ligand remained unchanged. The FK binding underwent a progressive decline as CBF fell below 30 ml/100 g/min. The PDBu binding showed only a gradual decline in parallel with the CBF reduction. These findings suggest that a reduction in CBF below 30 ml/100 g/min for 6 h may induce a remarkable suppression of the AC system with less significant inhibition of the PKC system in the striatum.

A new perspective on ischemic brain damage?

The last 20-30 years of research has brought detailed information on the pathophysiology and the neurochemistry of anoxic/ischemic brain damage. On the basis of this information, important mediators of such damage have been identified, notably loss of calcium homeostasis, excessive acidosis and enhanced production of free radicals. At present, the tools of basic neuroscience are being employed to unravel the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved. The results suggest that the second and third messengers expressed as a result of a calcium transient may be instrumental in triggering cell damage. These encompass excessive activation of protein kinases and phosphatases, and expression of new genes. The new data emerging in this field herald the advent of new concepts which can explain the causes of ischemic/anoxic brain damage in molecular terms.

Pathological phosphorylation causes neuronal death: effect of okadaic acid in primary culture of cerebellar granule cells

We have investigated the role of protracted phosphatase inhibition and the consecutive protracted protein phosphorylation on neuronal viability. We found that in primary cultures of cerebellar granule neurons, the protracted (24-h) inhibition of the serine/threonine protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (EC 3.1.3.16) by treatment of the cultures with okadaic acid (OKA; 5-20 nM) caused neurotoxicity that could be inhibited by the protein kinase inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H7) or by the previous down-regulation of the neuronal protein kinase C (PKC; ATP:protein phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.1.37). PKC was down-regulated by exposure of the cultures for 24 h to 100 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA). The effect of the drugs used in the viability studies on the pattern of protein phosphorylation was measured by quantitative autoradiography. In particular, the 50- and 80-kDa protein bands showed dramatic changes in the degree of phosphorylation: increase by OKA and brief TPA treatment; decrease by H7 or 24 h of TPA treatment; and inhibition of the OKA-induced increase by H7 or 24 h of TPA treatment. The results suggest that the protracted phosphorylation, in particular that mediated by PKC, may lead to neuronal death and are in line with our previous suggestion that prolonged PKC translocation is operative in glutamate neurotoxicity.

Postreceptor modulation of cAMP accumulation in rat brain particulate fraction after ischemia— Involvement of protein kinase C

The brain cyclic AMP generation was studied in rats subjected to 15 min of cardiac arrest. We have used a particulate, synaptoneurosomal fraction to demonstrate the effect of ischemia in vivo on the responsiveness of adenylate cyclase (AC) system. It has been shown that, although there is a slight decrease in AC activity after ischemia, the in vitro fractions produce more cAMP in response to a variety of stimuli, suggesting an indirect, nonadenylate cyclase activation mechanism. For elucidation of this mechanism we have probed phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) as a direct PKC activator, forskolin to activate the catalytic subunit of AC, and cholera toxin (CT) for stabilizing the active, GTP-bound form of stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding protein (Gs). All these postreceptor AC modulators as well as the receptor activators such as adenosine and alpha 1-adrenergic agonists markedly enhanced cAMP production in the rat brain particulate fraction, although the postischemic hyperactive response to these stimuli was still present. However, when AC was stimulated by the combination of CT and PDBu, cAMP responses were identical in both control and postischemic fractions. The data, taken together, support the hypothesis that ischemia increases cAMP accumulation by facilitating the postreceptor AC activation through a PKC-involving pathway and by promoting the stronger coupling of membrane AC receptors with G-protein. Protein kinase C (PKC) activity during cerebral ischemia was also investigated. In contradistinction to our expectation PKC decreased significantly in the ischemic brain to 85% of the control activity in the cytosol and 72% in the membranes. However, in the incubated post-ischemic brain particulate fraction a relative increase in the membrane-bound form of the enzyme, from 30% for control to 53% for ischemia, was observed. This may suggest that ischemia-induced membrane changes could promote the enzyme translocation/activation during recovery, resulting in the sensitization of cAMP producing system.