title: Insulin-like growth factor-I suppresses degradation of the pro-survival transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) during neuronal apoptosis.
abstract: Cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) require depolarization-mediated calcium influx for survival. Calcium regulates the activity of the pro-survival transcription factor, myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D). MEF2D is hyperphosphorylated and degraded in CGNs undergoing apoptosis induced by lowering the extracellular potassium concentration from 25 mM to 5 mM. Since insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is known to protect CGNs from apoptotic cell death, we investigated the effects of IGF-I on MEF2D processing during apoptosis. IGF-I administered during the apoptotic insult did not prevent the hyperphosphorylation of MEF2D and consequential loss of DNA binding. However, IGF-I significantly blocked the degradation of MEF2D. Furthermore, IGF-I had no effect on the initial loss of MEF2 transcriptional activity following hyperphosphorylation, but the recovery of MEF2 activity following restoration of intracellular calcium was significantly increased by IGF-I. We conclude that IGF-I blocks the degradation of MEF2D and enhances recovery of MEF2 activity by protecting MEF2D from caspase-dependent cleavage during apoptosis. These results suggest that IGF-I can prolong the time of commitment to irreversible cell death and enhance the recovery of neurons subjected to an acute apoptotic stimulus by preserving the activity of the pro-survival factor MEF2D.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Butts
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Linseman
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Laessig
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Heidenreich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D064326:MEF2 Transcription Factors; D018006:Myogenic Regulatory Factors; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D064326:MEF2 Transcription Factors; D018006:Myogenic Regulatory Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D003561:Cytarabine; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D011188:Potassium