calpastatin and Brain-Diseases

Glial cells and neurons are in constant reciprocal signalling both under physiological and neuropathological conditions. Microglial activation is often associated with neuronal death during inflammation of the CNS, although microglial cells are also known to exert a neuroprotective role. In this work, we investigated the interplay between cerebellar granule neurons (CGN) and microglia in the perspective of CGN survival to an excitotoxic stimulus, quinolinic acid (QA), a catabolite of the tryptophan degradation pathway. We observed that CGN succumb to QA challenge via extracellular signal regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK) activation. Our data with transgenic mice expressing the natural inhibitor of calpains, calpastatin, indicate that together with cathepsins they mediate QA-induced toxicity acting downstream of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-ERK pathway. Microglial cells are not only resistant to QA but can rescue neurons from QA-mediated toxicity when they are mixed in culture with neurons or by using mixed culture-conditioned medium (MCCM). This effect is mediated via fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) present in MCCM. FGF-2 is transcriptionally up-regulated in neurons and secreted in the MCCM as a result of neuron-microglia crosstalk. The neuroprotection is associated with the retention of cathepsins in the lysosomes and with transactivation of inducible heat-shock protein 70 downstream of FGF-2. Furthermore, FGF-2 upon release by neurons activates c-jun N-terminal kinase 1 and 2 pathway which also contributes to neuronal survival. We suggest that FGF-2 plays a pivotal role in neuroprotection against QA as an outcome of neuron-microglia interaction.

Topics: Animals; Brain Diseases; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Cathepsins; Cell Communication; Cell Death; Cells, Cultured; Cytoprotection; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microglia; Nerve Degeneration; Neurons; Neurotoxins; Organ Culture Techniques; Quinolinic Acid; Signal Transduction; Up-Regulation

Excessive activation of calpains (calcium-activated neutral proteases) is observed following spinal cord contusion injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. Calpain inhibition represents an attractive therapeutic target, but current calpain inhibitors possess relatively weak potency, poor specificity, and in many cases, limited cellular and blood-brain barrier permeability. We developed novel calpain inhibitors consisting of the endogenous inhibitor, calpastatin or its inhibitory domain I, fused to the protein transduction domain of the HIV trans-activator (Tat) protein (Tat(47-57)). The Tat-calpastatin fusion proteins were potent calpain inhibitors in a cell-free activity assay, but did not inhibit cellular calpain activity in primary rat cortical neurons when applied exogenously at concentrations up to 5 microM. The fusion proteins were able to transduce neurons, but were localized within endosome-like structures. A similar endosomal uptake was observed for Tat-GFP. Together, the results suggest that endosomal uptake of the Tat-calpastatin prevents its interaction with calpain in other cellular compartments. Endosomal uptake of proteins fused to the Tat protein transduction domain severely limits the applications of this methodology.

Topics: Animals; Brain Diseases; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Calpain; Cell Compartmentation; Cells, Cultured; Cerebral Cortex; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endosomes; Fetus; Gene Products, tat; Humans; Nerve Degeneration; Neurons; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Rats; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Transduction, Genetic