Bcl-2 overexpression prevents motoneuron cell body loss but not axonal degeneration in a mouse model of a neurodegenerative disease.
Bcl-2 and its analogs protect different classes of neurons from apoptosis in several experimental situations. These proteins may therefore provide a means for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. We examined the effects of Bcl-2 overexpression in a genetic mouse model with motor neuron disease (progressive motor neuronopathy/pmn). Pmn/pmn mice lose motoneurons and myelinated axons, and die at 6 weeks of age. When these mice were crossed with transgenic mice that overexpress human Bcl-2, there was a rescue of the facial motoneurons with a concomitant restoration of their normal soma size and expression of choline acetyltransferase. However, Bcl-2 overexpression did not prevent degeneration of myelinated axons in the facial and phrenic motor nerves and it did not increase the life span of the animals. Since Bcl-2 acts strictly on neuronal cell body survival without compensating for nerve degeneration in pmn/pmn/bcl-2 mice, this proto-oncogene would not in itself be sufficient for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases where axonal impairment is a major component.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016472:Motor Neuron Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D010791:Phrenic Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D011149:Pons / Q000473:pathology; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2