title: Involvement of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and tau phosphorylation in neuronal Golgi disassembly.
abstract: The dissociation of the neuronal Golgi complex is a classical feature observed in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. The goal of this study is to determine if the phosphorylation of tau protein is involved in neuronal Golgi disassembly. Primary cortical cultures were exposed to two Golgi toxins, brefeldin A (BFA) or nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). Immunocytochemical studies using the anti58 k antibody revealed that Golgi disassembly started in exposed neurons a few minutes after treatment. BFA and NDGA induced a rapid and transient increase in tau phosphorylation in a site-specific manner on immunoblots. In addition, the increase in tau phosphorylation directly correlated with a transient dissociation of tau from the cytoskeleton and a decrease of the acetylated tubulin. Furthermore, the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) increased transiently, as demonstrated by the kinase activity assay and by immunoblottings of serine-9 and tyrosine-216 phosphorylated of GSK-3beta. A decrease of the Akt phosphorylated form was also shown. The increase in tau phosphorylation was inhibited by the GSK-3beta inhibitor, lithium. Finally, morphometric studies showed that lithium partially blocked the Golgi disassembly caused by BFA or NDGA. Together these findings indicate that GSK-3beta activity and tau phosphorylation state are involved in the maintenance of the neuronal Golgi organization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, SAR.
authors.forename: Wassim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Elyaman
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yardin
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hugon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020126:Brefeldin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; D038341:Glycogen Synthase Kinases; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology; D009637:Masoprocol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016875:tau Proteins; D020126:Brefeldin A; D009637:Masoprocol; D008094:Lithium; D038341:Glycogen Synthase Kinases; C494920:Akt1 protein, rat; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3