title: Dying neural cells activate glia through the release of a protease product.
abstract: The close relationship between neurodegeneration and gliosis could play a relevant role in propagating the degenerative event in the brain. Although there is evidence of the neurotoxicity of activated glia, the ability of damaged neurons to modulate glial response remains unexplored. Exposure of primary glial cells to damaged or dead hippocampal neurons was followed by glial release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). This release was reduced by a partial prevention of neural death. By contrast, no TNF-alpha was released when glial cells were exposed to damaged murine fibroblasts. Exposure of glial cells to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Alzheimer's disease was also followed by TNF-alpha release, while the CSF of subjects with nondegenerative brain disorders evoked no response. These data suggest that damaged neurons both in vitro and in vivo release factor(s) that activate glial response. Heat treatment of sonicated neurons or use of a mixture of protease inhibitors, among them the caspase inhibitors Z-DEVD-FMK and Z-YVAD-FMK, prevented TNF-alpha release from glial cells. We conclude that a primary neurodegenerative event may induce glial response by releasing a neurospecific protein factor via activation of a caspase.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. barbara.viviani@unimi.it
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Viviani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Corsini
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Padovani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ciusani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marinovich
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002457:Cell Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005911:Gliosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D002457:Cell Extracts; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D010450:Endopeptidases; D020169:Caspases