title: Serum-deprivation induces cell death of rat cultured microglia accompanied with expression of Bax protein.
abstract: Expression of Bcl-2 related proteins in rat microglial primary culture was examined. At relative low cell densities, serum deprivation caused cell death and nuclei condensation of cultured microglia. Expression of a pro-apoptotic protein, Bax, but not Bcl-2, was increased by the serum deprivation. SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38MAPK, prevented both the serum deprivation-induced Bax expression and microglial death. Immunochemical staining showed that microglia expressing a high level of Bax were subjected to apoptosis-like cell death. These observations suggest that Bax expression underlies the apoptosis of cultured microglia after serum deprivation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshioka
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wakamatsu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kozaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baba
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000494:pharmacology; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013687:Telencephalon; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: C494828:Bax protein, rat; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein