title: Neurotoxicity of tunicamycin on cultured cerebellar granule cells.
abstract: Tunicamycin (TM) is known to cause severe neurological diseases in the central nervous system of animals. Cultured cerebellar granule cells were used to investigate the direct cytotoxicity of this agent on cerebellar neurons. Results indicate that TM is a potent inhibitor of glycosylation and protein synthesis. This agent killed granule cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. TM treatment of these neurons lead to atrophic cell bodies and condensed nuclei. This TM-induced cell death could be prevented by cycloheximide and aurintricarboxylic acid. In contrast, TM had no apparent toxicity toward nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells under similar conditions. These results suggest that TM kills cerebellar granule cells in a manner similar to programmed cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72205, USA.
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Korolev
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D006031:Glycosylation; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D016716:PC12 Cells; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009498:Neurotoxins; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D014415:Tunicamycin