Red nucleus neurons of Bcl-2 over-expressing mice are protected from cell death induced by axotomy.
The Bcl-2 proto-oncogene regulates apoptosis and prevents cell death. We studied the effect of Bcl-2 gene over-expression on the survival of axotomized red nucleus (RN) neurons after unilateral hemisection at cervical segment 4/5 (C4/5) in mice. Seventy-five percent of RN neurons survived in Bcl-2 over-expressing mice 1 or 2 months after surgery compared with only 55% of RN neurons in wild-type mice. However, Bcl-2 gene over-expression does not prevent lesion-induced shrinkage of RN neurons.
Zhou
L
L
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, MCP Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA.
Connors
T
T
Chen
D F
DF
Murray
M
M
Tessler
A
A
Kambin
P
P
Saavedra
R A
RA
D000818:Animals; D019771:Axotomy; D002452:Cell Count; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size / Q000502:physiology; D005838:Genotype; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012012:Red Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase