title: Activation of Erk1/2 and Akt in astrocytes under ischemia.
abstract: Substantial evidence has shown that extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (Erk1/2) and serine/threonine kinase (Akt) play important roles in regulating cell survival. We examined the activities of these kinases in astrocytes under ischemia in an anaerobic chamber. The level of phosphorylated Erk1/2 in astrocytes began to increase after 1 h ischemia, reached a maximum after 4 h ischemia, before decreasing from 5 to 6 h. Akt was activated later than Erk1/2. It was significantly increased after 4 h ischemia before declining steadily afterwards. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and Hoechst nucleic staining indicated that U0126, which inhibits Erk1/2 phosphorylation, enhanced ischemia-induced cell death, whereas LY294002, which inhibits Akt phosphorylation, delayed cell death. These effects were dose-dependent. At 4 and 6 h ischemia, U0126-treated astrocytes expressed a lower level of Bcl-2 than controls. In contrast, LY294002-treated astrocytes expressed a higher level of Bcl-2 than controls as shown by Western blots. Bcl-x(L) expression level was not affected by either treatment. These data suggest that activation of the MAPK/Erk1/2 pathway might protect astrocytes from ischemic injury, but activation of the PI3-K/Akt pathway does not. The effect may involve Bcl-2 but not Bcl-x(L) expression.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute for Neuroscience, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhongjian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Philip Yeung
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qunyuan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Albert Cheung Hoi
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002070:Butadienes / Q000494:pharmacology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D051379:Mice; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009570:Nitriles / Q000494:pharmacology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
chemical_list: D002070:Butadienes; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009570:Nitriles; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C113580:U 0126; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases