title: RCAN1 (DSCR1) increases neuronal susceptibility to oxidative stress: a potential pathogenic process in neurodegeneration.
abstract: Oxidative stress (OS) underlies neuronal dysfunction in many neurodegenerative disorders. Regulator of Calcineurin 1 (RCAN1 or DSCR1) is a dose-sensitive gene whose overexpression has been linked to Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology and to the response of cells to stress stimuli. Here, we show that RCAN1 mRNA and protein expression are sensitive to OS in primary neurons, and we evaluate the involvement of RCAN1 dosage in neuronal death induced by OS. We find that Rcan1(-/-) neurons display an increased resistance to damage by H(2)O(2), which can be reverted by RCAN1 overexpression or by exogenous inhibitors of calcineurin. Although increased intracellular Ca(2+) concentration is an important factor in OS-mediated cell death, our results show that Ca(2+) loading after exposure to H(2)O(2) was similar in Rcan1(+/+) and Rcan1(-/-) neurons. Our data further suggest that CaN and NFAT signaling protect against OS in both Rcan1(+/+) and Rcan1(-/-) neurons. To explain the observed differential vulnerability, we therefore propose a mechanism downstream of H(2)O(2)-mediated Ca(2+) entry, involving calcineurin-NFAT signaling. These findings highlight the importance of RCAN1 gene dosage in the modulation of cell survival and death pathways and suggest that changes in the amount of RCAN1 could represent an important mechanism for regulating susceptibility to neurodegeneration, especially in DS and AD.
authors.affiliation: Genes and Disease Program, Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG-UPF), Biomedical Research Park Building, E-08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Sílvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Porta
authors.forename: Selma A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Meritxell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huch
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Valverde
authors.forename: Franc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Llorens
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Estivill
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Arbonés
authors.forename: Eulàlia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martí
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D015153:Blotting, Western; D019703:Calcineurin / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; C511512:DSCR1 protein, mouse; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D019703:Calcineurin; D002118:Calcium