JNK is activated but does not mediate hippocampal neuronal apoptosis in experimental neonatal pneumococcal meningitis

Medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in mice differently affected by simulate microgravity and social isolation associated with the alternation of emotional and cognitive functions

Long-term spaceflight has been proved to cause physical impairments such as motor, cardiovascular and endocrine functions in astronauts. But psychological effects such as mood and social interaction are less well understood. Besides, there are conflicting accounts of their effects on cognitive function. Thus in this study, we exposed mice (18-21 g) to 28-day simulate microgravity and social isolation (SM+SI) and examined its effects on mood, social interaction and cognitive function. We found that four weeks of SM+SI exposure resulted in emotional and specific social barriers, which may be associated with loss of neurons and decreased dendritic spine density in the medial prefrontal cortex. Unexpectedly, SM+SI enhanced the short and long-term cognitive abilities of mice, which may be related to the anti-apoptotic effect of SM+SI regulating the level of apoptotic factors in the hippocampus. These results indicates that SM+SI, as chronic stressor, can induce the body to establish effective coping strategies to enhance individuals' cognitive ability; on the other hand, long-term exposure to SM+SI causes emotional/social barriers. This study further demonstrates SM+SI causes different effects in a brain-region specific manner. Current findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding how SM+SI acts on the brain structure to influence mental health, and may be useful for designing effective prevention for those, including the astronauts, exposed to microgravity.

Cronobacter sakazakii Infection in Early Postnatal Rats Impaired Contextual-Associated Learning: a Putative Role of C5a-Mediated NF-κβ and ASK1 Pathways

This study was designed to test whether the Cronobacter sakazakii infection-impaired contextual learning and memory are mediated by the activation of the complement system; subsequent activation of inflammatory signals leads to alternations in serotonin transporter (SERT). To test this, rat pups (postnatal day, PND 15) were treated with either C. sakazakii (10⁷ CFU) or Escherichia coli OP50 (10⁷ CFU) or Luria bertani broth (100 μL) through oral gavage and allowed to stay with their mothers until PND 24. Experimental groups' rats were allowed to explore (PNDs 31-35) and then trained in contextual learning task (PNDs 36-43). Five days after training, individuals were tested for memory retention (PNDs 49-56). Observed behavioural data showed that C. sakazakii infection impaired contextual-associative learning and memory. Furthermore, our analysis showed that C. sakazakii infection activates complement system complement anaphylatoxin (C5a) (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS1)) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase1 (MEKK1). Subsequently, MEKK1 induces pro-inflammatory signals possibly through apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1 (ASK-1), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK1/3) and protein kinase B gamma (AKT-3). In parallel, activated nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer B cells (NF-κB) induces interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IFNα-1, which may alter the level of serotonin transporter (SERT). Observed results suggest that impaired contextual learning and memory could be correlated with C5a-mediated NF-κβ and ASK1 pathways.

Molecular cloning

Transcription factor c-Jun is a member of AP-1 transcription complex that can be induced by various pathogens and plays a broad regulatory role in vertebrate immune response. In this study, the complete c-Jun cDNA of large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea (Lcc-Jun) was cloned, whose open reading frame (ORF) is 984 bp long and encodes a protein of 327 amino acids (aa). The deduced Lcc-Jun protein contains three highly conserved domains, a transactivation domain (TAD, Met¹-His¹¹⁸), a DNA binding domain (DBD, Lys²¹⁸-Arg²⁴³), and a Leucine zipper domain (LZD, Leu²⁷¹-Leu²⁹⁹), as found in other specie c-Jun. Lcc-Jun was constitutively expressed in all examined tissues, with the higher levels in blood, heart, and head kidney. Its transcripts were not only induced in spleen and head kidney by poly (I: C) or LPS, but also up-regulated in primary head kidney leukocytes (PKL), macrophages (PKM), and granulocytes (PKG), suggesting that Lcc-Jun may be involved in immune responses induced by poly (I: C), a viral mimic, and LPS, a Gram-negative bacterial component. Overexpression of Lcc-Jun in PKL increased the expression of cytokines and transcription factors involved in T helper 1 (Th1: TNF-α, IFN-γ, and T-bet) and Th2 (IL-4/13 A/B, IL-6, and GATA3) cell development and differentiation, suggesting that Lcc-Jun may play a role in regulation of Th1/Th2 cell response. These results therefore led us to suggest that the c-Jun-mediated signaling pathways may have an important immune-modulatory function in teleost fish.

The immune response of the C-Jun in the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) after bacterial infection

The transcription factor C-Jun widely exists in vertebrates and invertebrates and plays an important role in various kinds of stimulus response. In this study, PmC-jun gene was first cloned from Penaeus monodon. The full-length cDNA of PmC-jun was 1857 bp in length and included an 879 bp open reading frame (ORF), which encoded 293 amino acids. qRT-PCR analysis results showed that PmC-jun mRNAs were ubiquitously expressed in all the examined tissues. The highest expression level was observed in gill, followed by hepatopancreas. The expression patterns of PmC-jun after Vibrio harveyi and Streptococcus agalactiae injections were studied by qRT-PCR experiment. PmC-jun increased obviously in the gill and hepatopancreas. The expression pattern of PmC-jun in the hepatopancreas was further studied using in situ hybridization (ISH) method. The mRNA expression level of PmC-jun significantly increased in the hepatopancreas after bacterial infection. The expression sites of PmC-jun were almost unchanged. PmC-jun played a regulatory role in pathogen invasion.

Quantitative proteomics reveals dynamic interaction of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) with RNA transport granule proteins splicing factor proline- and glutamine-rich (Sfpq) and non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein (Nono) during neuronal differentiation

The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is an important mediator of physiological and pathophysiological processes in the central nervous system. Importantly, JNK not only is involved in neuronal cell death, but also plays a significant role in neuronal differentiation and regeneration. For example, nerve growth factor induces JNK-dependent neuronal differentiation in several model systems. The mechanism by which JNK mediates neuronal differentiation is not well understood. Here, we employed a proteomic strategy to better characterize the function of JNK during neuronal differentiation. We used SILAC-based quantitative proteomics to identify proteins that interact with JNK in PC12 cells in a nerve growth factor-dependent manner. Intriguingly, we found that JNK interacted with neuronal transport granule proteins such as Sfpq and Nono upon NGF treatment. We validated the specificity of these interactions by showing that they were disrupted by a specific peptide inhibitor that blocks the interaction of JNK with its substrates. Immunoprecipitation and Western blotting experiments confirmed the interaction of JNK1 with Sfpq/Nono and demonstrated that it was RNA dependent. Confocal microscopy indicated that JNK1 associated with neuronal granule proteins in the cytosol of PC12 cells, primary cortical neurons, and P19 neuronal cells. Finally, siRNA experiments confirmed that Sfpq was necessary for neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells and that it most likely acted in the same pathway as JNK. In summary, our data indicate that the interaction of JNK1 with transport granule proteins in the cytosol of differentiating neurons plays an important role during neuronal development.

Glutathione peroxidase overexpression causes aberrant ERK activation in neonatal mouse cortex after hypoxic preconditioning

BACKGROUND

Preconditioning of neonatal mice with nonlethal hypoxia (HPC) protects the brain from hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury. Overexpression of human glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1), which normally protects the developing murine brain from HI injury, reverses HPC protection, suggesting that a certain threshold of hydrogen peroxide concentration is required for activation of HPC signaling.

METHODS

Activation (phosphorylation) of extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and Akt, and induction of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α were assessed in the cortex, one of the main structures affected by HI and protected by HPC, at different time points after reoxygenation in wild-type (WT) and GPx1-overexpressing animals.

RESULTS

GPx1 overexpression prevented both the global and nuclear increase in activated ERK at 0.5 h after HPC and caused a significant decrease in phospho-ERK (pERK)/ERK levels at 24 h after HPC. In contrast, HIF-1α induction at the end of hypoxia was unaffected by GPx1 overexpression. In the cortex of preconditioned WT animals, enhanced pERK staining was primarily observed in neurons and to a lower extent in astrocytes and endothelial cells, with a nuclear prominence.

CONCLUSION

Aberrant activation of ERK probably explains the paradoxical reversal of HPC protection by GPx1 overexpression. The results identify hydrogen peroxide as an important mediator of neuroprotective ERK signaling.

Distributed, limbic gray matter atrophy in patients after bacterial meningitis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The structural basis of cognitive sequelae after bacterial meningitis in humans is still poorly understood. In animal models and human autopsy cases, neuronal apoptosis of the hippocampal formation in particular seems to play an important role. Here, we aimed to analyze if BM entails MR imaging structural consequences in humans in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We applied voxel-based morphometry in a cohort of BM survivors with normal conventional MR imaging after resolution of the acute inflammation to assess morphologic differences.

RESULTS

We found clear gray matter volume loss in the limbic system including the hippocampal formation, thalamus, and cingulate gyri bilaterally as well as in the temporal lobe. These results were corroborated by an alternative atlas-based method.

CONCLUSIONS

Even in patients with normal routine MR imaging results, clear-cut gray matter atrophy with a mesial temporal/limbic pattern was evident. The anatomic distribution is compatible with the neuropsychological deficit commonly observed in patients after BM. The similarity of the observed atrophy may point to causal link between BM and mesial temporal epilepsy.

Maternal vitamin C deficiency during pregnancy persistently impairs hippocampal neurogenesis in offspring of guinea pigs

While having the highest vitamin C (VitC) concentrations in the body, specific functions of VitC in the brain have only recently been acknowledged. We have shown that postnatal VitC deficiency in guinea pigs causes impairment of hippocampal memory function and leads to 30% less neurons. This study investigates how prenatal VitC deficiency affects postnatal hippocampal development and if any such effect can be reversed by postnatal VitC repletion. Eighty pregnant Dunkin Hartley guinea pig dams were randomized into weight stratified groups receiving High (900 mg) or Low (100 mg) VitC per kg diet. Newborn pups (n = 157) were randomized into a total of four postnatal feeding regimens: High/High (Control); High/Low (Depleted), Low/Low (Deficient); and Low/High (Repleted). Proliferation and migration of newborn cells in the dentate gyrus was assessed by BrdU labeling and hippocampal volumes were determined by stereology. Prenatal VitC deficiency resulted in a significant reduction in postnatal hippocampal volume (P<0.001) which was not reversed by postnatal repletion. There was no difference in postnatal cellular proliferation and survival rates in the hippocampus between dietary groups, however, migration of newborn cells into the granular layer of the hippocampus dentate gyrus was significantly reduced in prenatally deficient animals (P<0.01). We conclude that a prenatal VitC deficiency in guinea pigs leads to persistent impairment of postnatal hippocampal development which is not alleviated by postnatal repletion. Our findings place attention on a yet unrecognized consequence of marginal VitC deficiency during pregnancy.

Bacterial meningitis impairs hippocampal neurogenesis

Bacterial meningitis causes persisting neurofunctional sequelae. Theoccurrence of apoptotic cell death in the hippocampal subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus characterizes the disease in patients and relates to deficits in learning and memory in corresponding experimental models. Here, we investigated why neurogenesis fails to regenerate the damage in the hippocampus associated with the persistence of neurofunctional deficits. In an infant rat model of bacterial meningitis, the capacity of hippocampal-derived cells to multiply and form neurospheres was significantly impaired comparedto that in uninfected littermates. In an in vitro model of differentiating hippocampal cells, challenges characteristic of bacterial meningitis (i.e. bacterial components, tumor necrosis factor [20 ng/mL], or growth factor deprivation) caused significantly more apoptosis in stem/progenitor cells and immature neurons than in mature neurons. These results demonstrate that bacterial meningitis injures hippocampal stem and progenitor cells, a finding that may explain the persistence of neurofunctional deficits after bacterial meningitis.

Overweight worsens apoptosis, neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier damage after hypoxic ischemia in neonatal brain through JNK hyperactivation

BACKGROUND

Apoptosis, neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage affect the susceptibility of the developing brain to hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insults. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is an important mediator of insulin resistance in obesity. We hypothesized that neonatal overweight aggravates HI brain damage through JNK hyperactivation-mediated upregulation of neuronal apoptosis, neuroinflammation and BBB leakage in rat pups.

METHODS

Overweight (OF) pups were established by reducing the litter size to 6, and control (NF) pups by keeping the litter size at 12 from postnatal (P) day 1 before HI on P7. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting were used to determine the TUNEL-(+) cells and BBB damage, cleaved caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and phospho-JNK and phospho-BimEL levels. Immunofluorescence was performed to determine the cellular distribution of phospho-JNK.

RESULTS

Compared with NF pups, OF pups had a significantly heavier body-weight and greater fat deposition on P7. Compared with the NF-HI group, the OF-HI group showed significant increases of TUNEL-(+) cells, cleaved levels of caspase-3 and PARP, and ED1-(+) activated microglia and BBB damage in the cortex 24 hours post-HI. Immunofluorescence of the OF-HI pups showed that activated-caspase 3 expression was found mainly in NeuN-(+) neurons and RECA1-(+) vascular endothelial cells 24 hours post-HI. The OF-HI group also had prolonged escape latency in the Morris water maze test and greater brain-volume loss compared with the NF-HI group when assessed at adulthood. Phospho-JNK and phospho-BimEL levels were higher in OF-HI pups than in NF-HI pups immediately post-HI. JNK activation in OF-HI pups was mainly expressed in neurons, microglia and vascular endothelial cells. Inhibiting JNK activity by AS601245 caused more attenuation of cleaved caspase-3 and PARP, a greater reduction of microglial activation and BBB damage post-HI, and significantly reduced brain damage in OF-HI than in NF-HI pups.

CONCLUSIONS

Neonatal overweight increased HI-induced neuronal apoptosis, microglial activation and BBB damage, and aggravated HI brain damage in rat pups through JNK hyperactivation.

Restoration of Akt activity by the bisperoxovanadium compound bpV(pic) attenuates hippocampal apoptosis in experimental neonatal pneumococcal meningitis

Pneumococcal meningitis causes apoptosis of developing neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The death of these cells is accompanied with long-term learning and memory deficits in meningitis survivors. Here, we studied the role of the PI3K/Akt (protein kinase B) survival pathway in hippocampal apoptosis in a well-characterized infant rat model of pneumococcal meningitis. Meningitis was accompanied by a significant decrease of the PI3K product phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP(3)) and of phosphorylated (i.e., activated) Akt in the hippocampus. At the cellular level, phosphorylated Akt was decreased in both the granular layer and the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus, the region where the developing neurons undergo apoptosis. Protein levels and activity of PTEN, the major antagonist of PI3K, were unaltered by infection, suggesting that the observed decrease in PIP(3) and Akt phosphorylation is a result of decreased PI3K signaling. Treatment with the PTEN inhibitor bpV(pic) restored Akt activity and significantly attenuated hippocampal apoptosis. Co-treatment with the specific PI3K inhibitor LY294002 reversed the restoration of Akt activity and attenuation of hippocampal apoptosis, while it had no significant effect on these parameters on its own. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of bpV(pic) on apoptosis was mediated by PI3K-dependent activation of Akt, strongly suggesting that bpV(pic) acted on PTEN. Treatment with bpV(pic) also partially inhibited the concentration of bacteria and cytokines in the CSF, but this effect was not reversed by LY294002, indicating that the effect of bpV(pic) on apoptosis was independent of its effect on CSF bacterial burden and cytokine levels. These results indicate that the PI3K/Akt pathway plays an important role in the death and survival of developing hippocampal neurons during the acute phase of pneumococcal meningitis.

Meningitis in neonates: bench to bedside

The clinical outcome of central nervous system infection is determined by the characteristics of the pathogen and the brain's response to the invading bacteria. How infection leads to brain injury remains unresolved. An impediment to progress is the complexity of pathophysiologic processes. Some of the mechanisms involved have been identified in experimental models, providing insights into the molecular basis of brain injury and regeneration, and hinting at targets for therapy. Adjuvant therapies have been proposed. Interventions that protect the brain are evaluated for their potential to preserve neuro-integrative functions in long-term survivors of bacterial meningitis. This article summarizes current studies evaluating pharmacologic interventions in experimental models of bacterial meningitis and discusses how the knowledge gathered could translate into more effective therapies.

Small peptide inhibitor of JNKs protects against MPTP-induced nigral dopaminergic injury via inhibiting the JNK-signaling pathway

Increasing evidence suggests that apoptosis may be the mechanism underlying cell death in selective loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies strongly suggested that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway has a critical role in the animal model with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD. In this study, we report the inhibitory effect of a peptide designated as Tat-JBD on JNKs activation. The sequence of Tat is corresponding to the cell-membrane transduction domain of human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) and the sequence of an 11-amino acid peptide is corresponding to the residues of JNK-binding domain (JBD) on JNK-interacting protein-1 (JIP-1). Tat-JBD is confirmed to perturb the assembly of JIP-1-JNKs complex, inhibit the activation of JNKs induced by MPTP and consequently diminish the phosphorylation of c-Jun. It also inhibits the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and the releasing of Bax from Bcl-2/Bax dimmers, sequentially attenuates the translocation of Bax to mitochondria, the release of cytochrome c, the activation of caspase3 and the hydrolyzation of poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase. The death of dopaminergic neurons and the loss of dopaminergic axon in the striatum were significantly suppressed by infusion of the peptide Tat-JBD in MPTP-treated mice. Our findings imply that Tat-JBD offers neuroprotection against MPTP injury via inhibiting the JNK-signaling pathway, and may provide a promising therapeutic approach for PD.