title: ATF-2 phosphorylation in apoptotic neuronal death.
abstract: Activating transcription factor (ATF-2) is a basic region-leucine zipper transcription factor that can mediate a diverse range of transcriptional responses including those generated by various forms of cellular stress. Activation of ATF-2 in response to these stimuli requires post-translational modification, in particular the phosphorylation of Thr69 and Thr71. To investigate whether ATF-2 activation also has a role in neuronal apoptosis, immunocytochemistry using a phospho-specific ATF-2 (Thr71) antibody was carried out in the 21 day old rat brain following a unilateral hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insult and PC12 cells cultured in the presence of okadaic acid. In both models a dramatic increase in phosphorylated ATF-2 was found within cells undergoing apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Woodgate
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sirimanne
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gluckman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dragunow
mesh_terms: D051698:Activating Transcription Factor 2; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D016350:Leucine Zippers / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D019319:Okadaic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D016716:PC12 Cells; D010766:Phosphorylation; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051698:Activating Transcription Factor 2; C497107:Atf2 protein, rat; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019319:Okadaic Acid