Peptide inhibitors of caspase-3-like proteases attenuate 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinum-induced toxicity of cultured fetal rat mesencephalic dopamine neurons.
Multiple aspartate-specific cysteine proteases have been identified and specific members of this family have been implicated in the apoptotic death of many mammalian cell types. Caspase-3-like proteases seem to play a pivotal role in neuronal apoptosis since mice with germline inactivation of the caspase-3 gene manifest profound alterations in neurogenesis. Moreover, inhibitors of caspase-3-related proteases have been shown to inhibit neuronal apoptosis. Here we extend recent work from our laboratory on the mechanisms mediating the neurotoxic actions of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium using ventral mesencephalon cultures containing dopamine neurons. We demonstrate that low concentrations of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium induce apoptosis in dopamine neurons by morphological and biochemical criteria. Moreover, pretreatment of ventral mesencephalon cultures with the tetrapeptide inhibitors of the caspase-3-like proteases zVAD-FMK or Ac-DEVD-CHO specifically inhibit death of dopamine neurons induced by low concentrations of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, whereas the caspase-1-like inhibitor Ac-YVAD-CHO was without effect. Our data indicate that exposure of cultured ventral mesencephalon dopamine neurons to low concentrations of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium results in apoptotic death and that caspase-3-like proteases may mediate the neurotoxic apoptotic actions of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202, USA.
R C
RC
Dodel
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Y
Du
K R
KR
Bales
Z D
ZD
Ling
P M
PM
Carvey
S M
SM
Paul
D015655:1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats
D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D009842:Oligopeptides; C099158:acetyl-aspartyl-glutamyl-valyl-aspartal; C096713:benzyloxycarbonylvalyl-alanyl-aspartyl fluoromethyl ketone; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D015655:1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium; D004298:Dopamine