Adult neural stem/progenitor cells reduce NMDA-induced excitotoxicity via the novel neuroprotective peptide pentinin.
Although the potential of adult neural stem cells to repair damage via cell replacement has been widely reported, the ability of endogenous stem cells to positively modulate damage is less well studied. We investigated whether medium conditioned by adult hippocampal stem/progenitor cells altered the extent of excitotoxic cell death in hippocampal slice cultures. Conditioned medium significantly reduced cell death following 24 h of exposure to 10 microM NMDA. Neuroprotection was greater in the dentate gyrus, a region neighboring the subgranular zone where stem/progenitor cells reside compared with pyramidal cells of the cornis ammonis. Using mass spectrometric analysis of the conditioned medium, we identified a pentameric peptide fragment that corresponded to residues 26-30 of the insulin B chain which we termed 'pentinin'. The peptide is a putative breakdown product of insulin, a constituent of the culture medium, and may be produced by insulin-degrading enzyme, an enzyme expressed by the stem/progenitor cells. In the presence of 100 pM of synthetic pentinin, the number of mature and immature neurons killed by NMDA-induced toxicity was significantly reduced in the dentate gyrus. These data suggest that progenitors in the subgranular zone may convert exogenous insulin into a peptide capable of protecting neighboring neurons from excitotoxic injury.
Faijerson
Jonas
J
Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.
Thorsell
Annika
A
Strandberg
Joakim
J
Hanse
Eric
E
Sandberg
Mats
M
Eriksson
Peter S
PS
Tinsley
Rogan B
RB
D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000633:toxicity*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D007328:Insulin / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000633:toxicity*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D007328:Insulin; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D016202:N-Methylaspartate