title: Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein (MAPKAP) kinase 2 deficiency protects brain from ischemic injury in mice.
abstract: Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) is one of several kinases directly regulated by p38 MAP kinase. A role of p38 MAP kinase in ischemic brain injury has been previously suggested by pharmacological means. In the present study, we provide evidence for a role of MK2 in cerebral ischemic injury using MK2-deficient (MK2(-/-)) mice. MK2(-/-) mice subjected to focal ischemia markedly reduced infarct size by 64 and 76% after transient and permanent ischemia, respectively, compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, MK2(-/-) mice had significant reduction in neurological deficits. Real-time PCR analysis identified a significantly lower expression in interleukin-1beta mRNA (53% reduction) but not in tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA in MK2(-/-) mice over wild-type animals after ischemic injury. The significant reduction in interleukin-1beta was also confirmed in MK2(-/-) mice by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The marked neuroprotection from ischemic brain injury in MK2(-/-) mice was not associated with the alteration of hemodynamic or systemic variables, activation of caspase-3, or apoptosis. Our data provide new evidence for the involvement of MAP kinase pathway in focal ischemic brain injury and suggest that this effect might be associated with the expression of interleukin-1beta in the ischemic brain tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Wilmington, Delaware 19880-0400, USA. xinkang.wang@bms.com
authors.forename: Xinkang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaestel
authors.forename: Giora Z
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Feuerstein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D000099190:MAP-Kinase-Activated Kinase 2
chemical_list: D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D007375:Interleukin-1; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D000099190:MAP-Kinase-Activated Kinase 2; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse