title: [Effect of methylmercuric chloride on apoptosis and c-fos expression of brain glial cells].
abstract: In order to explore the injury of brain development caused by methylmercuric chloride(MMC) and the relationship between the injury and c-fos expression, the damaging effects of MMC on the morphology of cultured brain glial cells derived from neonatal Wistar rat were studied by microscope and electronic microscope, and the effect of MMC on the c-fos expression of glial cells were studied by immunocytochemical method. The results showed that the characteristics of apoptosis, such as condensed cytoplasm, marginal nuclear chromatin and pyknotic nuclei were found after cultured glial cells was exposed to MMC. The expressed c-Fos protein began to increase in the nuclei of cultured glial cells at 0.5 h after MMC was added to DMEM medium for 10 min and increased markedly with time prolonged. The percentage of Fos-positive nuclei reached a peak at 2 h and declined gradually from 4 to 6 h. The percentage of Fos-positive glial nuclei in the group exposed to 0.32 mmol/L MMC was significantly higher than those in other groups, which were exposed to 0.00125, 0.005 and 0.02 mmol/L MMC respectively (P < 0.01) at 2 h after MMC was added. It is concluded that MMC can induce the expression of c-fos and the apoptosis of glial cells in vitro. The findings suggested that the apoptosis might be mediated by c-fos expression.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Zhichao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chunxia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C004925:methylmercuric chloride