title: Cell-cycle regulators are involved in transient cerebral ischemia induced neuronal apoptosis in female rats.
abstract: Recent evidence indicates that cell-cycle regulating proteins are involved in apoptotic process in post-mitotic neurons. In this study, we examined cell-cycle regulators for G1/S cell-cycle progression after a transient focal cerebral ischemia induced by middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. In the cerebral frontoparietal cortex, we observed a marked induction of Cyclin D1 (a coactivator of Cdks), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), together with upregulated Cdk kinase activities. This process is accompanied with multiple phosphorylation of retinoblastoma (Rb) protein at Cdk phosphorylation sites in neurons from the ischemic cortex. We further examined DNA synthesis by the incorporation of BrdU, a nucleotide analog that incorporates into newly synthesized DNA. Within 24-h of reperfusion after 60-min occlusion, substantial BrdU-positive neurons were observed in the ischemic cortex. Inhibition of Cdk4 activity during this ischemia/reperfusion is highly neuroprotective. These results suggest that ischemia/reperfusion cerebral damage induces signalings at the G1/S cell-cycle transition, and may constitute a critical step in the neuronal apoptotic pathway in ischemia/reperfusion induced neuronal damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Shaohua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Simpkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D010052:Ovariectomy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine