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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2000, 20(24):9119-9125
Delaying Caspase Activation by Bcl-2: A Clue to Disease
Retardation in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis
Slobodanka
Vukosavic1,
Leonidas
Stefanis1, 2,
Vernice
Jackson-Lewis1,
Christelle
Guégan1,
Norma
Romero1,
Caiping
Chen1,
Michel
Dubois-Dauphin3, and
Serge
Przedborski1, 2
Departments of 1 Neurology and 2 Pathology,
Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, and
3 Department of Psychiatry, HUG Belle-Idee,
University of Geneva School of Medicine, 1225 Geneva, Switzerland
Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis may participate in motor neuron
degeneration produced by mutant copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (mSOD1), the only proven cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Consistent with this, herein we show that the spinal cord of transgenic
mSOD1 mice is the site of the sequential activation of caspase-1 and
caspase-3. Activated caspase-3 and its produced -actin cleavage
fragments are found in apoptotic neurons in the anterior horn of the
spinal cord of affected transgenic mSOD1 mice; although such neurons
are few, their scarcity should not undermine the potential importance
of apoptosis in the overall mSOD1-related neurodegeneration.
Overexpression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 attenuates
neurodegeneration and delays activation of the caspases and
fragmentation of -actin. These data demonstrate that caspase
activation occurs in this mouse model of ALS during neurodegeneration.
Our study also suggests that modulation of caspase activity may provide
protective benefit in the treatment of ALS, a view that is consistent
with our recent demonstration of caspase inhibition extending the
survival of transgenic mSOD1 mice.
Key words:
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; apoptosis; Bcl-2; caspase; superoxide dismutase; neuronal death
Copyright © 2000 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/00/20249119-07$05.00/0
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