Oxidative post-translational modifications of alpha-synuclein in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Structural and functional alterations of alpha-synuclein is a presumed culprit in the demise of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). Alpha-synuclein mutations are found in familial but not in sporadic PD, raising the hypothesis that effects similar to those of familial PD-linked alpha-synuclein mutations may be achieved by oxidative post-translational modifications. Here, we show that wild-type alpha-synuclein is a selective target for nitration following peroxynitrite exposure of stably transfected HEK293 cells. Nitration of alpha-synuclein also occurs in the mouse striatum and ventral midbrain following administration of the parkinsonian neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Conversely, beta-synuclein and synaptophysin were not nitrated in MPTP-intoxicated mice. Our data demonstrate that alpha-synuclein is a target for tyrosine nitration, which, by disrupting its biophysical properties, may be relevant to the putative role of alpha-synuclein in the neurodegeneration associated with MPTP toxicity and with PD.     

Protection of cultured rat cortical neurons from excitotoxicity by asarone,a major essential oil component in the rhizomes of Acorus gramineus

Previous reports have shown that the methanol extract and the essential oil from Acori graminei Rhizoma (AGR) inhibited excitotoxic neuronal cell death in primary cultured rat cortical cells. In the present study, an active principle was isolated from the methanol extract by biological activity-guided fractionations and identified as asarone. We evaluated neuroprotective actions and action mechanisms of the isolated asarone as well as the alpha- and the beta-asarone obtained commercially. The isolated asarone inhibited the excitotoxicity induced by the exposure of cortical cultures for 15 min to 300 microM NMDA in a concentration-dependent manner, with the IC50 of 56.1 microg/ml. The commercially obtained alpha- and beta-asarone exhibited more potent inhibitions of the NMDA-induced excitotoxicity than the isolated asarone. Their respective IC50 values were 18.2 and 26.5 microg/ml. The excitotoxicity induced by glutamate (Glu) was also inhibited, but with much less potency than the toxicity induced by NMDA. The IC50 values for the alpha-, beta-, and the isolated asarone were 89.7, 121.7, and 279.5 microg/ml, respectively. Based on the receptor-ligand binding studies using a use-dependent NMDA receptor-channel blocker [3H]MK-801, asarone inhibited the specific bindings in a concentration-dependent fashion. These results indicate that asarone, the major essential oil component in AGR, exhibits neuroprotective action against the NMDA- or Glu-induced excitotoxicity through the blockade of NMDA receptor function. The alpha-asarone was found to exhibit more potent inhibition of [3H]MK-801 bindings, which is consistent with its more potent neuroprotective action than the beta- or the isolated asarone.     

焦亚硫酸钠对大鼠海马CA1区神经元钾电流的影响

目的:探讨焦亚硫酸钠(SMB)、二氧化硫(SO2)及其体内衍生物(亚硫酸盐和亚硫酸氢盐)对中枢神经元钾通道的影响及超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)及谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPx)相应的保护作用.方法:采用全细胞膜片钳技术研究了SMB对大鼠海马CA1区神经元瞬间外向钾电流(IA)和延迟整流钾电流(IK)的影响.结果:①焦亚硫酸钠可增大全细胞IA和IK,且具剂量依赖性和电压依赖性,使IA和IK增大50%的剂量分别为15.8 μmol/L和11.5μmol/L;②10 μmol/L的SMB均可显著影响IA和IK的激活过程,给药前后IA的半数激活电压分别为(-12.6±1.6)mV和(-7.0±1.3)mV(n=8,P＜0.01),IK的半数激活电压分别为(10.8±0.9)mV和(21.6±0.7)mV(n=8,P＜0.01),但不改变其斜率因子;③10μmol/L的SMB还非常显著地影响IA的失活过程,给药前后其半数失活电压分别为(-97.0±1.1)mV和(-84.4±3.3)mV(n=8,P＜0.01),但也不改变其斜率因子;④抗氧化酶SOD(1×106U/L)、CAT(2×106U/L)及GPx(105U/L)均可使SMB(10μmol/L)增大的IA和IK部分恢复.结论:SMB可显著增大IA和IK,抑制IA和IK的激活过程及IA的失活过程,从而导致胞内K 的外流增加,使胞内K 浓度降低,从而对中枢神经元功能产生不利影响.     

Effect of Agmatine Against Cell Death Induced by NMDA and Glutamate in Neurons and PC12 Cells

1. Aims: Agmatine is an endogenous guanido amine and has been shown to be neuroprotective in vitro and in vivo. The aims of this study are to investigate whether agmatine is protective against cell death induced by different agents in cultured neurons and PC12 cells.2. Methods: Cell death in neurons, cultured from neonatal rat cortex, was induced by incubating with (a) NMDA (100 M) for 10 min, (b) staurosporine (protein kinase inhibitor, 100 nM) for 24 h, and (c) calcimycin (calcium ionophore, 100 nM) for 24 h in the presence and absence of agmatine (1 M to 1 mM). Cell death in PC12 cells was induced by exposure to glutamate (10 mM), staurosporine (100 nM), and calcimycin (100 nM). The activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the medium was measured as the marker of cell death and normalized to cellular LDH activity.3. Results: Agmatine significantly reduced the medium LDH in NMDA-treated neurons but failed to reduce the release of LDH induced by staurosporin or calcimycin. In PC12 cells, agmatine significantly reduced LDH release induced by glutamate exposure, but not by staurosporine or calcimycin. Agmatine itself neither increased LDH release nor directly inhibited the enzyme activity.4. Conclusion: We conclude that agmatine protects against NMDA excitotoxicity in neurons and PC12 cells but not the cell death induced by protein kinase blockade or increase in cellular calcium.     

丙二醛破坏大鼠海马神经元胞质钙离子稳态的信号机制

目的研究丙二醛（MDA）对原代培养的海马神经元胞质中钙离子稳态的破坏作用及可能的信号机制。方法以Fur2／AM为荧光指示剂,采用荧光分光光度法定量测定原代培养海马神经元胞质游离钙浓度变化。结果随着MDA浓度的升高和作用时间的延长,导致胞质中游离钙水平显著升高,破坏其钙稳态。MDA所导致的海马神经元胞质游离钙水平升高包括两个过程：100μmol／L的MDA可使胞质[Ca2＋]i水平在0—10min内的早期渐进升高过程,经历中间大约5min的平台期后,接下来15—30min的晚期显著升高。以细胞膜电压依赖的Ca2＋通道抑制剂nimodipine抑制外钙内流后,可显著抑制晚期胞质[Ca2＋]i水平的升高,以PLC的抑制剂U73122作用后,则可抑制早期胞质[Ca2＋]i水平的升高。结论100μmol／L的MDA作用下,海马神经元胞质中早期钙离子水平的升高和晚期钙离子水平的升高可能分别由不同的信号机制所介导。     

皮质酮对体外培养的海马神经元延迟整流钾电流的影响

目的：探讨应激激素皮质酮对海马神经元延迟整流钾电流的影响。方法：膜片钳全细胞记录测量原代培养大鼠海马神经元膜的钾离子电流。结果：在皮质酮的作用下,海马神经元膜的钾离子电流幅度明显下调,激活阈电位升高。结论：过量皮质酮激素可能通过影响延迟整流钾通道损伤海马神经元。     

海马神经元ROS和Ca2+对极低频电磁场实时响应的方法研究

现有极低频电磁场(extremely low frequency-electromagnetic fields,ELF-EMFs)生物效应的研究方法是非实时组间对照,这种方法无法排除细胞对电磁场反应个体敏感性的差异,以及实验过程中条件变化的差异.本文提出一种对同一个细胞在同一条件下的前后对照实时观察ELF-EMFs反应的方法.采用稳定域鉴别ELF-EMFs暴露前海马神经元的稳定性,在电磁场加入时刻(t=60 s)分别用0、0.09、0.38、0.76、7.33、14.78 mT的ELF-EMFs作用于海马神经元,实时记录海马神经元活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS)和Ca~(2+)荧光响应曲线,建立ELF-EMFs与ROS和Ca~(2+)的自相关函数.结果表明:a.在ROS暴发时间和Ca~(2+)暴发时间,ROS和Ca~(2+)荧光响应具有阶跃性,这是判断实时响应的重要标志;b. ROS和Ca~(2+)对ELF-EMFs响应时间具有延时性,并且不一致;c. ROS和Ca~(2+)对ELF-EMFs实时响应具有剂量性;d.海马神经元ROS对ELF-EMFs响应具有复杂性;e.海马神经元Ca~(2+)对电磁场响应主要是渐进稳定.当ELF-EMFs与ROS和Ca~(2+)实时响应的相关函数大于0.3可以判定具有相关性.由此得出,一种ELF-EMFs暴露下细胞ROS和胞内Ca~(2+)的实时响应方法对电磁生物效应评价是可行的.     

Functional and Molecular Characterization of Individual Olfactory Neurons

Abstract: To gain an understanding of the olfactory signal transduction process, individual chemosensory neurons have been assessed for odor-induced Ca²⁺ responses and the molecular elements of transduction cascades using Ca²⁺ imaging technique in combination with single-cell RT-PCR approaches. It has been demonstrated that responsiveness of cells to cyclic AMP or inositol trisphosphate odorants was blocked by specific adenylyl cyclase inhibitors or phospholipase C inhibitors, respectively. Using specific primers in single-cell RT-PCR analysis, olfactory marker protein, two G protein subtypes (G_olf and G_o), and adenylyl cyclase (subtype III) and a phospholipase C (phospholipase Cβ₂-related subtype) were identified. For a subpopulation of sensory neurons it was demonstrated that both transduction cascades coexist and are active in the same cell. These data support the notion that two second messenger pathways are active in olfactory sensory neurons and emphasize the concept of dual transduction cascades in olfaction.     

猫视网膜多巴胺能神经元的形态和发育

本文报道用酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)免疫细胞化学方法研究猫生后发育期多巴胺(DA)能神经元的形态和发育。TH阳性反应的DA能神经元在生后第一天(P_1)的视网膜中已经出现。按形态学特征——胞体大小、形状、突起分层,以及免疫反应强度可分为THⅠ型和THⅡ型两类。THⅠ型是大的强阳性反应的DA能细胞,包括通常DA能无长突细胞、移位DA能无长突细胞和DA能类网间细胞。它们随发育年龄增长逐渐成熟。THⅡ型是小的弱阳性反应的DA能细胞,不随年龄而生长发育,相反在开眼(P_(7-10))后细胞数量明显下降,至P_(30)时完全消失。开眼后,THⅠ细胞除胞体增大外树突发育特别迅速。它们的胞体直径从11.8μm(P_1时)增大至14.2μm(P_(30)时),相应的树突野和分枝交叉也明显增加。P_1时,树突分枝少而直,末端有许多生长锥。在中央网膜的树突有棘状附属物。至P_(13)时生长锥减少,许多分枝交叉形成简单的网状,同时树突“棘”完全消失,可能发展为环的一部份。至P_(30)时,树突分枝在内网从层的外层形成复杂的网络,其间有无数与杆型AⅡ无长突细胞构成突触联系的环形结构,相似于成年者。在生后发育过程中,开眼后适宜光照对THⅠ细胞成熟的影响以及神经递质变化的可能性,我们在文中进行了讨论。