title: Contrasting role of presenilin-1 and presenilin-2 in neuronal differentiation in vitro.
abstract: Presenilin-1 (PS1) and presenilin-2 (PS2), the major genes of familial Alzheimer's disease, are homologous to sel-12, a Caenorhabditis elegans gene involved in cell fate decision during development. Recently, wild-type and mutant presenilins have been associated also with apoptotic cell death. By using stable transfection of antisense cDNAs, we studied the functions of PS1 and PS2 during neuronal differentiation in the NTera2 human teratocarcinoma (NT2) cell line. Expression of antisense PS1 resulted in a failure of the clones to differentiate into neurons after retinoic acid induction, whereas cells transfected with antisense PS2 differentiated normally. Concomitantly, antisense PS1 clones were associated with increased apoptosis both under basal conditions and during the early period of neuronal differentiation after retinoic acid treatment. Overexpression of bcl-2 in antisense PS1 clones reduced cell death and resulted in a recovery of neuronal differentiation. These studies suggest that PS1 plays a role in differentiation and cell death and that PS1 and PS2 have differing physiological roles in this experimental paradigm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Caromile
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nomata
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Bredesen
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Koo
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology; D016923:Cell Death; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D016373:DNA, Antisense / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D053764:Presenilin-1; D053766:Presenilin-2; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D016373:DNA, Antisense; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C508853:PSEN1 protein, human; C508861:PSEN2 protein, human; D053764:Presenilin-1; D053766:Presenilin-2; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2