title: Inhibition of caspase-3-like activity reduces glutamate induced cell death in adult rat retina.
abstract: Retinal cell death induced by over-stimulation of glutamate receptors is related to the programmed cell death or apoptosis. However, little is known about the intracellular events that lead to this cell death process in the retina. In this study, we asked if caspase-3 family cysteine proteases regulate cell death in an explant culture of adult rat retina after exposure to excessive glutamate. Cells with DNA fragmentation were first detected in the ganglion cell layer 3 h after a brief exposure to 20 mM glutamate; whilst those in the inner nuclear layer were first observed 6 h after the glutamate lesion. Caspase-3-like activity, as indicated by immunostaining of the fractin antibody that recognizes actin fragments generated by caspase-3 family proteases, was seen 40 min after glutamate treatment. Staining was first detected in the ganglion cell layer and then in the inner nuclear layer, preceding the appearance of cells with DNA fragmentation in these layers. Colocalization study showed that all cells with DNA breaks were fractin positive, indicating that caspase-3 family activity was involved in the glutamate-induced cell death in the adult rat retina. Furthermore, DEVD-CHO, a tetrapeptide inhibitor for caspase-3 family members, reduced dramatically the fractin staining and significantly alleviated glutamate-induced cell death and DNA fragmentation in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer. Inhibitor for caspase-1-like activity, YVAD-CHO, neither reduced the fractin staining nor showed comparable neuroprotective effects to the retina. We conclude that glutamate-induced apoptotic cell death in adult rat retina is mediated by a specific activation of cysteine proteases related to the caspase-3 family, and an intervention to the caspase-3 proteases provides effective protection to retinal neurons against glutamate excitotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong, Shatin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002232:Carbocyanines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C035005:3,3'-dihexadecylindocarbocyanine; D002232:Carbocyanines; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009842:Oligopeptides; C108637:aspartyl-glutamyl-valyl-aspartal; C118632:tyrosyl-valyl-alanyl-aspartal; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D020170:Caspase 1