title: Cyclooxygenase 2 inhibits SAPK activation in neuronal apoptosis.
abstract: Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expressed in cultured neuronal PC12 cells under inducible promoter protects cells from trophic withdrawal apoptosis. Stimulation of SAPK is thought to play a significant role in initiation of PC12 cell death. We have therefore examined whether COX-2 expression inhibits trophic withdrawal-mediated activation of SAPK. SAPK activity increased during the first 6h after NGF removal in mock-transfected PC12 cells. COX-2 expression attenuated the increase of SAPK, as detected by Western blot analysis with phosphorylation state specific anti-SAPK antibodies and by SAPK activity assays. We propose that COX-2 attenuated SAPK activation by preventing activation of nNOS, which occurs, as we have shown before, via COX-2-mediated expression of dynein light chain (DLC). Activation of SAPK in neuronal cell death was attenuated by DLC expression. These observations support a role for NO production and SAPK activation in the neuronal death mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226-0509, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Yu-Wen E
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Andrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorokin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004398:Dyneins; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology; D048055:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 8; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D016716:PC12 Cells; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007527:Isoenzymes; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048055:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 8; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D004398:Dyneins; D007213:Indomethacin