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The Journal of Neuroscience, January 15, 1999, 19(2):705-715
Generation of Neuronal Intranuclear Inclusions by
Polyglutamine-GFP: Analysis of Inclusion Clearance and Toxicity as a
Function of Polyglutamine Length
Krista L.
Moulder1,
Osamu
Onodera2, 4,
James R.
Burke2, 4,
Warren J.
Strittmatter2, 3, 4, and
Eugene M.
Johnson Jr1
1 Departments of Neurology and Molecular Biology and
Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis,
Missouri 63110, and Departments of 2 Medicine (Neurology),
3 Neurobiology, and 4 Deane Laboratory,
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
Recent evidence suggests that, in huntingtin and many other
proteins, polyglutamine repeats are a toxic stimulus in
neurodegenerative diseases. To investigate the mechanism by which these
repeats may be toxic, we transfected primary rat cerebellar granule
neurons with polyglutamine-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion
constructs containing 19 (Q19-GFP), 35 (Q35-GFP), 56 (Q56-GFP), or 80 (Q80-GFP) glutamine residues. All constructs, except Q19-GFP,
aggregated within the nuclei of transfected cells in a length- and
time-dependent manner. Although Q35-GFP expression led to the
development of several small aggregates per cell, these aggregates were
cleared or degraded, and the cells remained viable. In contrast,
Q80-GFP expression resulted in one or two large aggregates and induced cell death. Caspase activation was observed after Q80-GFP aggregation, but inhibition of caspases with
Boc-aspartyl(OMe)-fluoromethylketone (BAF) only served to delay,
not prevent, toxicity. In addition, aggregation and toxicity were not
affected by other modulators of neuronal cell death such as genetic
deletion of the proapoptotic bcl-2 family member
bax or addition of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. Lastly, nuclear condensation did not occur as part of
the toxicity. These data suggest that polyglutamine-GFP expression is
toxic to primary neurons but that the death is distinct from classical apoptosis.
Key words:
aggregation; cerebellar granule neurons; apoptosis; caspase; ubiquitin; cAMP
Copyright © 1999 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/99/192705-11$05.00/0
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