title: Neurotrophin-3-induced PI-3 kinase/Akt signaling rescues cortical neurons from apoptosis.
abstract: A number of cytokines including neurotrophins have been tested for their neuroprotective activity against different paradigms of neuronal death. However, as for neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), their mechanisms of action have not been fully identified. By using cultures of mouse cortical neurons, we have investigated the molecular mechanisms by which neurotrophin-3 could protect cortical neurons against apoptosis. In a model of caspase-dependent apoptosis leading to the recruitment of active initiators caspase-8 and -9 and of executioner caspase-3, we have evidenced that NT-3 displayed an anti-apoptotic effect in a dose-dependent manner. First, we showed that, in cultured cortical neurons, NT-3 could promote extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol-3' (PI-3) kinase/Akt phosphorylation. Second, we showed that although the blockade of the Akt pathway prevented the anti-apoptotic effect of NT-3, blockade of the ERK pathway did not. Altogether, our data demonstrate that NT-3 displayed an anti-apoptotic effect on cultured cortical neurons through a mechanism involving the recruitment of the PI-3 kinase/Akt signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Université de Caen, CNRS UMR 6551, Centre CYCERON, IFR 47, 14074 Caen Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Géraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liot
authors.forename: Cécilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cacquevel
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Eric T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buisson
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vivien
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt