Beta-amyloid peptide fragment 31-35 induces apoptosis in cultured cortical neurons.
A synthetic fragment 31-35 of beta-amyloid peptide was used in cultured cortical neurons to examine whether this smaller sequence could trigger apoptotic degeneration in vitro by using morphological, biochemical and flow-cytometric examinations. The results showed that: (i) neurons treated with fragment 31-35 of beta-amyloid peptide exhibited membrane blebbing, compaction of nuclear chromatin, nuclear shrinkage and nuclear fragmentation; (ii) a typical DNA ladder was revealed by agarose gel electrophoresis following fragment 31-35 of beta-amyloid peptide exposure; (iii) the internucleosome DNA fragmentation was also detected by flow-cytometric examination following fragment 31-35 of beta-amyloid peptide exposure; and (iv) the DNA fragmentation induced by fragment 31-35 of beta-amyloid peptide in the above two examinations could be blocked by co-treatment with aurintricarboxylic acid or actinomycin D. It is suggested that fragment 31-35 of the beta-amyloid peptide may be a shorter sequence of beta-amyloid peptide responsible for triggering an apoptotic process in cultured neurons.
Department of Neurobiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, P.R. China.
X Z
XZ
Yan
J T
JT
Qiao
Y
Y
Dou
Z D
ZD
Qiao
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001312:Aurintricarboxylic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000502:physiology; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology*
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C113042:amyloid beta-protein (31-35); D003609:Dactinomycin; D001312:Aurintricarboxylic Acid