Urocortin modulates dopaminergic neuronal survival via inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β and histone deacetylase.
Urocortin (UCN) is a member of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) family of neuropeptides that regulates stress responses. Although UCN is principally expressed in dopaminergic neurons in rat substantia nigra (SN), the function of UCN in modulating dopaminergic neuronal survival remains unclear. Using primary mesencephalic cultures, we demonstrated that dopaminergic neurons underwent spontaneous cell death when their age increased in culture. Treatment of mesencephalic cultures with UCN markedly prolonged the survival of dopaminergic neurons, whereas neutralization of UCN with anti-UCN antibody accelerated dopaminergic neurons degeneration. UCN increased intracellular cAMP levels followed by phosphorylating glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) on Ser9. Moreover, UCN directly inhibited the histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and induced a robust increase in histone H3 acetylation levels. Using pharmacological approaches, we further demonstrated that inhibition of GSK-3β and HDAC contributes to UCN-mediated neuroprotection. These results suggest that dopaminergic neuron-derived UCN might be involved in an autocrine protective signaling mechanism.
Huang
Hsin-Yi
HY
Department of Research, Neuro-Medical Scientific Center, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien 970, Taiwan, ROC.
Lin
Shinn-Zong
SZ
Chen
Wu-Fu
WF
Li
Kuo-Wei
KW
Kuo
Jon-Son
JS
Wang
Mei-Jen
MJ
D000818:Animals; D019898:Autocrine Communication / Q000502:physiology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D056284:Histone Deacetylase 1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D054832:Urocortins / Q000502:physiology*
D054832:Urocortins; C514216:urocortin 3, rat; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605507:Gsk3b protein, mouse; C000605508:Gsk3b protein, rat; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; C515890:Hdac1 protein, rat; D056284:Histone Deacetylase 1; D004298:Dopamine