Delta-secretase-cleaved Tau antagonizes TrkB neurotrophic signalings, mediating Alzheimer's disease pathologies.

BDNF, an essential trophic factor implicated in synaptic plasticity and neuronal survival, is reduced in Alzheimer's disease (AD). BDNF deficiency's association with Tau pathology in AD is well documented. However, the molecular mechanisms accounting for these events remain incompletely understood. Here we show that BDNF deprivation triggers Tau proteolytic cleavage by activating δ-secretase [i.e., asparagine endopeptidase (AEP)], and the resultant Tau N368 fragment binds TrkB receptors and blocks its neurotrophic signals, inducing neuronal cell death. Knockout of BDNF or TrkB receptors provokes δ-secretase activation via reducing T322 phosphorylation by Akt and subsequent Tau N368 cleavage, inducing AD-like pathology and cognitive dysfunction, which can be restored by expression of uncleavable Tau N255A/N368A mutant. Blocking the Tau N368-TrkB complex using Tau repeat-domain 1 peptide reverses this pathology. Thus, our findings support that BDNF reduction mediates Tau pathology via activating δ-secretase in AD.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate stimulates eyelid closure in the developing rat by stimulating EGFR signaling.

In many mammals, the eyelids migrate over the eye and fuse during embryogenesis to protect the cornea from damage during birth and early life. Loss-of-function mutations affecting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway cause an eyes-open-at-birth (EOB) phenotype in rodents. We identified an insertional mutation in Spinster homolog 2 (Spns2) in a strain of transgenic rats exhibiting the EOB phenotype. Spns2, a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) transporter that releases S1P from cells, was enriched at the tip of developing eyelids in wild-type rat embryos. Spns2 expression or treatment with S1P or any one of several EGFR ligands rescued the EOB Spns2 mutant phenotype in vivo and in tissue explants in vitro and rescued the formation of stress fibers in primary keratinocytes from mutants. S1P signaled through the receptors S1PR1, S1PR2, and S1PR3 to activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and EGFR-dependent mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1)-c-Jun signaling. S1P also induced the nuclear translocation of the transcription factor MAL in a manner dependent on EGFR signaling. MAL and c-Jun stimulated the expression of the microRNAs miR-21 and miR-222, both of which target the metalloprotease inhibitor TIMP3, thus promoting metalloprotease activity. The metalloproteases ADAM10 and ADAM17 stimulated EGFR signaling by cleaving a membrane-anchored form of EGF to release the ligand. Our results outline a network by which S1P transactivates EGFR signaling through a complex mechanism involving feedback between several intra- and extracellular molecules to promote eyelid fusion in the developing rat.

miR-9 and miR-124 synergistically affect regulation of dendritic branching via the AKT/GSK3ß pathway by targeting Rap2a.

A single microRNA (miRNA) can regulate expression of multiple proteins, and expression of an individual protein may be controlled by numerous miRNAs. This regulatory pattern strongly suggests that synergistic effects of miRNAs play critical roles in regulating biological processes. miR-9 and miR-124, two of the most abundant miRNAs in the mammalian nervous system, have important functions in neuronal development. In this study, we identified the small GTP-binding protein Rap2a as a common target of both miR-9 and miR-124. miR-9 and miR-124 together, but neither miRNA alone, strongly suppressed Rap2a, thereby promoting neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) and dendritic branching of differentiated neurons. Rap2a also diminished the dendritic complexity of mature neurons by decreasing the levels of pAKT and pGSK3ß. Our results reveal a novel pathway in which miR-9 and miR-124 synergistically repress expression of Rap2a to sustain homeostatic dendritic complexity during neuronal development and maturation.

Reactive astrocytes undergo M1 microglia/macrohpages-induced necroptosis in spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: A unique feature of the pathological change after spinal cord injury (SCI) is the progressive enlargement of lesion area, which usually results in cavity formation and is accompanied by reactive astrogliosis and chronic inflammation. Reactive astrocytes line the spinal cavity, walling off the lesion core from the normal spinal tissue, and are thought to play multiple important roles in SCI. The contribution of cell death, particularly the apoptosis of neurons and oligodendrocytes during the process of cavitation has been extensively studied. However, how reactive astrocytes are eliminated following SCI remains largely unclear. RESULTS: By immunohistochemistry, in vivo propidium iodide (PI)-labeling and electron microscopic examination, here we reported that in mice, reactive astrocytes died by receptor-interacting protein 3 and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (RIP3/MLKL) mediated necroptosis, rather than apoptosis or autophagy. Inhibiting receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1) or depleting RIP3 not only significantly attenuated astrocyte death but also rescued the neurotrophic function of astrocytes. The astrocytic expression of necroptotic markers followed the polarization of M1 microglia/macrophages after SCI. Depleting M1 microglia/macrophages or transplantation of M1 macrophages could significantly reduce or increase the necroptosis of astrocytes. Further, the inflammatory responsive genes Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) are induced in necroptotic astrocytes. In vitro antagonizing MyD88 in astrocytes could significantly alleviate the M1 microglia/macrophages-induced cell death. Finally, our data showed that in human, necroptotic markers and TLR4/MyD88 were co-expressed in astrocytes of injured, but not normal spinal cord. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results reveal that after SCI, reactive astrocytes undergo M1 microglia/macrophages-induced necroptosis, partially through TLR/MyD88 signaling, and suggest that inhibiting astrocytic necroptosis may be beneficial for preventing secondary SCI.

Aldose Reductase Regulates Microglia/Macrophages Polarization Through the cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein After Spinal Cord Injury in Mice.

Inflammatory reactions are the most critical pathological processes occurring after spinal cord injury (SCI). Activated microglia/macrophages have either detrimental or beneficial effects on neural regeneration based on their functional polarized M1/M2 subsets. However, the mechanism of microglia/macrophage polarization to M1/M2 at the injured spinal cord environment remains unknown. In this study, wild-type (WT) or aldose reductase (AR)-knockout (KO) mice were subjected to SCI by a spinal crush injury model. The expression pattern of AR, behavior tests for locomotor activity, and lesion size were assessed at between 4 h and 28 days after SCI. We found that the expression of AR is upregulated in microglia/macrophages after SCI in WT mice. In AR KO mice, SCI led to smaller injury lesion areas compared to WT. AR deficiency-induced microglia/macrophages induce the M2 rather than the M1 response and promote locomotion recovery after SCI in mice. In the in vitro experiments, microglia cell lines (N9 or BV2) were treated with the AR inhibitor (ARI) fidarestat. AR inhibition caused 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) accumulation, which induced the phosphorylation of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) to promote Arg1 expression. KG501, the specific inhibitor of phosphorylated CREB, could cancel the upregulation of Arg1 by ARI or HNE stimulation. Our results suggest that AR works as a switch which can regulate microglia by polarizing cells to either the M1 or the M2 phenotype under M1 stimulation based on its states of activity. We suggest that inhibiting AR may be a promising therapeutic method for SCI in the future.

Polarized Macrophages Have Distinct Roles in the Differentiation and Migration of Embryonic Spinal-cord-derived Neural Stem Cells After Grafting to Injured Sites of Spinal Cord.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently provokes serious detrimental outcomes because neuronal regeneration is limited in the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, the creation of a permissive environment for transplantation therapy with neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) is a promising strategy to replace lost neuronal cells, promote repair, and stimulate functional plasticity after SCI. Macrophages are important SCI-associated inflammatory cells and a major source of secreted factors that modify the lesion milieu. Here, we used conditional medium (CM) from bone marrow-derived M1 or M2 polarized macrophages to culture murine NS/PCs. The NS/PCs showed enhanced astrocytic versus neuronal/oligodendrocytic differentiation in the presence of M1- versus M2-CM. Similarly, cotransplantation of NS/PCs with M1 and M2 macrophages into intact or injured murine spinal cord increased the number of engrafted NS/PC-derived astrocytes and neurons/oligodendrocytes, respectively. Furthermore, when cotransplantated with M2 macrophages, the NS/PC-derived neurons integrated into the local circuitry and enhanced locomotor recovery following SCI. Interesting, engrafted M1 macrophages promoted long-distance rostral migration of NS/PC-derived cells in a chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4)-dependent manner, while engrafted M2 macrophages resulted in limited cell migration of NS/PC-derived cells. Altogether, these findings suggest that the cotransplantation of NS/PCs together with polarized macrophages could constitute a promising therapeutic approach for SCI repair.

Beneficial effects of thymosin ß4 on spinal cord injury in the rat.

Thymosin ß4 (Tß4) has many physiological functions that are highly relevant to spinal cord injury (SCI), including neuronal survival, anti-inflammation, wound repair promotion, and angiogenesis. The present study investigated the therapeutic value of Tß4 in SCI, with a focus on its neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and vasculoprotective properties. Tß4 or a saline control was administered by intraperitoneal injection 30 min, 3 days, or 5 days after SCI with mild compression in rat. Locomotor recovery was tested with the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scale and a footprint analysis. All behavioral assessments were markedly improved with Tß4 treatment. Histological examination at 7 days post injury showed that the numbers of surviving neurons and oligodendrocytes were significantly increased in Tß4-treated animals compared to saline-treated controls. Levels of myelin basic protein, a marker of mature oligodendrocytes, in Tß4-treated rats were 57.8% greater than those in saline-treated controls. The expression of ED1, a marker of activated microglia/macrophages, was reduced by 36.9% in the Tß4-treated group compared to that of the saline-treated group. Tß4 treatment after SCI was also associated with a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression and a significant increase in the mRNA levels of IL-10 compared to the control. Moreover, the size of lesion cavity delineated by astrocyte scar in the injured spinal cord was markedly reduced in Tß4-treated animals compared to saline-treated controls. Given the known safety of Tß4 in clinical trials and its beneficial effects on SCI recovery, the results of this study suggested that Tß4 is a good candidate for SCI treatment in humans.

Programmed death 1 deficiency induces the polarization of macrophages/microglia to the M1 phenotype after spinal cord injury in mice.

The inflammatory response following spinal cord injury (SCI) involves the activation of resident microglia and the infiltration of macrophages. Macrophages and microglia can be polarized into the classically activated proinflammatory M1 phenotype or the alternatively activated anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is a critical immune inhibitory receptor involved in innate and adaptive immune responses. However, whether PD-1 is involved in the modulation of macrophage/microglial polarization is unknown. In this study, the mRNA levels of pd1 gradually increased after SCI, and PD-1 protein was found in macrophages/microglia in injured spinal cord sections. PD-1 knockout (KO) mice showed poor locomotor recovery after spinal cord crushing compared with wild-type mice. M1-type macrophages/microglia accumulated in greater numbers in the injured spinal cord of PD-1-KO mice. Under polarized stimulation, induced expression of PD-1 occurred in cultured macrophages and microglia. PD-1 suppressed M1 polarization by reducing the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and promoted M2 polarization by increasing STAT6 phosphorylation. In PD-1-KO mice, the M1 response was enhanced via the activation of STAT1 and nuclear factor-kappa B. Furthermore, PD-1 played various roles in phagocytosis in macrophages and microglia. Therefore, our results suggest that PD-1 signaling plays an important role in the regulation of macrophage/microglial polarization. Thus, deregulated PD-1 signaling may induce the polarization of macrophages/microglia toward the M1 phenotype. Overall, our results provide new insights into the modulatory mechanisms of macrophage/microglial polarization, thereby possibly facilitating the development of new therapies for SCI via the regulation of macrophage/microglial polarization through PD-1 signaling.

Dynamics of ten-eleven translocation hydroxylase family proteins and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in oligodendrocyte differentiation.

The ten-eleven translocation (TET) family of methylcytosine dioxygenases catalyze oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and promote DNA demethylation. Despite the abundance of 5hmC and TET proteins in the brain, little is known about their role in oligodendrocytes (OLs). Here, we analyzed TET expression during OL development in vivo and in vitro, and found that three TET family members possess unique subcellular and temporal expression patterns. Furthermore, the level of 5hmC exhibits dynamic changes during OL maturation, which implies that 5hmC modification may play a role in the expression of critical genes necessary for OL maturation. siRNA-mediated silencing of the TET family proteins in OLs demonstrated that each of the TET proteins is required for OL differentiation. However, based on their unique domain structures, we speculate that the three TET members may function by different mechanisms. In summary, we have established the temporal expression of TET proteins and the dynamic level of 5hmC during OL development and demonstrate that all three TET members are necessary for OL differentiation.

Different TLR4 expression and microglia/macrophage activation induced by hemorrhage in the rat spinal cord after compressive injury.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage is a direct consequence of traumatic injury to the central nervous system and may cause innate immune reactions including cerebral Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 upregulation which usually leads to poor outcome in the traumatic brain injury. In spinal cord injury (SCI), however, how hemorrhage induces innate immune reaction in spinal parenchyma remains unknown. The present study aimed to see whether blood component and/or other factor(s) induce TLR4 and microglia/macrophages involved innate immune reactions in the rat spinal cord after traumatic injury. METHODS: Using the compressive SCI model of the rat, hemorrhage in the spinal cord was identified by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Microglia/macrophage activation, TLR4 expression, and cell apoptosis were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB p50 level of the two segments of the cord was detected by western blotting assay. With carbon powder injection, blood origination of the hematoma was explored. The blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) states of the lesion site and the hematoma were compared with immunohistochemistry and tannic acid-ferric chloride staining. RESULTS: Histological observation found blood accumulated in the center of compression lesion site (epicenter) and in the hematoma approximately 1.5 cm away from the epicenter. TLR4 expression, microglia//macrophage activation, and subsequent apoptosis in the area of far-away hematoma were late and weak in comparison to that in epicenter. In addition, TLR4 positive microglia/macrophages appeared to be phagocytotic in the far-away hematoma more obviously than that in the epicenter. Injected carbon powder indicated that accumulated blood of the far-away hematoma originated from the bleeding of the lesion epicenter, and the BSCB around the hematoma was not compromised in the early phase. Accordingly, at 3 days post injury, NF-κB p50 was upregulated based on the similar levels of blood component hemoglobin, and cell apoptosis was obvious in the epicenter but not in the far-away hematoma. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that besides blood component, BSCB compromise and the extent of tissue injury contribute more to TLR4 and microglia/macrophage responses to the spinal cord hemorrhage. Therefore, the innate immune environment is a necessary consideration for the SCI therapy targeting TLR4 and microglia/macrophages.

The effect of Lycium barbarum on spinal cord injury, particularly its relationship with M1 and M2 macrophage in rats.

BACKGROUND: Our past researches suggested that L. barbarum exhibits direct neuroprotective and immune regulatory effects on the central nervous system, which are highly related to the events involved in the spinal cord injury, but not yet been investigated. Immune responses play an important role in the development of the pathology after secondary injury, particularly the M1 and M2 types of macrophage, on which special emphasis was laid in this study. METHODS: In our previous studies L. barbarum was administrated orally from 7 days before the injury to ensure a stabilized concentration in the blood. For clinical application, L. barbarum can only be administered after the injury. Therefore, both pre-injury and post-injury administration protocols were compared. In vivo and in vitro studies were conducted and analyzed immunohistochemically, including Western blotting. RESULTS: The lesion size in the pre-treated group was much larger than that in the post-treated group. To explain this difference, we first studied the effect of L. barbarum on astrocytes, which forms the glial scar encircling the lesion. L. barbarum did not significantly affect the astrocytes. Then we studied the effect of L. barbarum on microglia/macrophages, particularly the M1 and M2 polarization. After spinal cord injury, the deleterious M1 cells dominant the early period, whereas the beneficial M2 cells dominate later. We found that in the pre-treated group L. barbarum significantly enhanced the expression of M1 cells and suppressed that of M2 cells, while in the post-treated group LBP markedly promoted the activity of M2 cells. This explained the difference between the pre- and post-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS: Lycium barbarum has been wildly accepted to have beneficial effects in various central nervous system diseases. Our finding of deleterious effect of LBP administered at early period of spinal cord injury, indicates that its application should be avoided. The substantial beneficial effect of LBP when administered at later stage has an important impact for clinical application.

Cross-reactivity of anti-programmed death ligand 2 polyclonal antibody in mouse tissues.

The inhibitory co-receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1, encoded by pdcd1) and its two ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 comprise an important immune inhibitory signaling pathway for defense against microbes and for self-tolerance. Unlike other members of the B7-CD28 family, expression of PD-L1 and PD-L2 is not limited to the immune system. In this study, we determined that a polyclonal antibody (pAb) (R&D Systems) against extracellular domains of mouse PD-L2 (mPD-L2) could recognize antigen(s) in diverse mouse tissues, including the anterior and intermediate pituitary gland, olfactory bulbs and olfactory epithelium, tongue epithelium, keratinized epithelial cells and skin and whisker hair follicles. These findings differed from previous reports of mPD-L2 localization. Reverse transcription PCR and Western blot analyses, however, were unable to detect any mPD-L2 transcripts or proteins of the 25-kD predicted molecular weight in RNA and protein extracts, respectively, from the above tissues, suggesting that the anti-mPD-L2 pAb cross-reacts with certain novel antigen(s). Developmental studies revealed that the earliest expression of mPD-L2-like antigen was in the olfactory epithelium at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5). At E14.5, mPD-L2-like antigen was present in the skin, tongue and follicles of the skin and whiskers. The distribution patterns of mPD-L2-like antigen remained similar from E18.5 to adulthood. The results of bioinformatic analysis and other experiments suggested neural cell adhesion molecule and hemicentin-1 as candidate proteins with cross-reactivity to the anti-mPD-L2 pAb. These results demonstrate that care is required in interpreting staining patterns generated when anti-PD-L2 pAb is used to locate PD-L2-expressing cells in the central nervous system and epithelial tissues, such as the olfactory epithelium. In addition, this anti-PD-L2 pAb may be used as an alternative antibody for labeling the olfactory epithelium during embryonic development in mice.

Early Blockade of TLRs MyD88-Dependent Pathway May Reduce Secondary Spinal Cord Injury in the Rats.

To determine the role of toll-like receptors (TLRs) myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) dependent pathway in the spinal cord secondary injury, compression injury was made at T8 segment of the spinal cord in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Shown by RT-PCR, TLR4 mRNA in the spinal cord was quickly elevated after compression injury. Intramedullary injection of MyD88 inhibitory peptide (MIP) resulted in significant improvement in locomotor function recovery at various time points after surgery. Meanwhile, injury area, p38 phosphorylation, and proinflammation cytokines in the injured spinal cord were significantly reduced in MIP-treated animals, compared with control peptide (CP) group. These data suggest that TLRs MyD88-dependent pathway may play an important role in the development of secondary spinal cord injury, and inhibition of this pathway at early time after primary injury could effectively protect cells from inflammation and apoptosis and therefore improve the functional recovery.

The protective effects of inosine against chemical hypoxia on cultured rat oligodendrocytes.

Inosine is a purine nucleoside and is considered protective to neural cells including neurons and astrocytes against hypoxic injury. However, whether oligodendrocytes (OLs) could also be protected from hypoxia by inosine is not known. Here we investigated the effects of inosine on primarily cultured rat OLs injured by rotenone-mediated chemical hypoxia, and the mechanisms of the effects using ATP assay, MTT assay, PI-Hoechst staining, TUNEL, and immunocytochemistry. Results showed that rotenone exposure for 24 h caused cell death and impaired viability in both immature and mature OLs, while pretreatment of 10 mM inosine 30 min before rotenone administration significantly reduced cell death and improved the viability of OLs. The same concentration of inosine given 120 min after rotenone exposure also improved viability of injured mature OLs. Immunocytochemistry for nitrotyrosine and cellular ATP content examination indicated that inosine may protect OLs by providing ATP and scavenging peroxynitrite for cells. In addition, immature OLs were more susceptible to hypoxia than mature OLs; and at the similar degree of injury, inosine protected immature and mature OLs differently. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that expression of adenosine receptors was different between these two stages of OLs. These data suggest that inosine protect OLs from hypoxic injury as an antioxidant and ATP provider, and the protective effects of inosine on OLs vary with cell differentiation, possibly due to the adenosine receptors expression profile. As OLs form myelin in the central nervous system, inosine could be used as a promising drug to treat demyelination-involved disorders.

[Establishment of PD-L1 transgenic mouse model and recovery of the motion after spinal cord injury].

AIM: To establish a ubiquitously expressed PD-L1 transgenic mouse model and evaluate its recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury. METHODS: Clone and sequence the complete mouse PD-L1 cDNA and construct the pCAG-PD-L1 transgenic vector by inserting the PD-L1 cDNA into the pCAGGS vector. The PD-L1 transgenic (TgPD-L1) mice were established by pronuclear micro-injection with fertilized eggs from C57BL/6 mice and the genotypes were confirmed by PCR with tail genomic DNA. The expression of PD-L1 on T and B lymphocytes from mouse spleen were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of PD-L1 in peripheral tissues was displayed by immunohistochemistry. The expression level of PD-L1 in spinal tissue was evaluated by RT-PCR. The recovery of motor function was analyzed by Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan(BBB) locomotion testing system at 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 day after spinal severe crush with forceps in mice. RESULTS: Three lines of TgPD-L1 mice in C57BL/6 background were generated and the exogenous PD-L1 gene can be heritable steadily to offsprings. PD-L1 was highly exppressed in spinal tissue, peripheral tissues, T and B lymphocytes using RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry respectively in TgPD-L1 mice. The BBB scores were obviously higher at 21 day post-injury in TgPD-L1 than those of in WT mice (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The TgPD-L1 mice whose background are C57BL/6 were established successfully and high expression level of PD-L1 in tissues promotes locomotion recovery after spinal cord injury in TgPD-L1 mice.

Induced differentiation of neural stem cells of astrocytic origin to motor neurons in the rat.

Destruction of the motor neurons will lead to loss of innervation of the somatic muscle, which has long been considered an illness with no remedy. The only possible treatment is to substitute the injured motor neurons by neurons differentiated from stem cells. It has been recently reported that embryonic stems cells can be induced to differentiate to motor neurons. However, the use of embryonic stem cells has innate problems. The ideal source of motor neurons should be the cells from the patients themselves, which have the potential to be induced to motor neurons. Our previous study demonstrated that mature astrocyte has the potential of being dedifferentiated to neural stem cell. The present study was aimed to investigate if the neural stem cells of astrocytic origin can be induced to motor neurons. The results demonstrated that neural stem cells of astrocytic origin could be induced to differentiate into motor neurons and their progenitor cells with rich harvest. Further, it has been reported that astrocytes can be readily obtained via biopsy from the cerebral cortex of the patient, rendering autologous transplantation possible. In conclusion, matured astrocytes can be induced to motor neurons and be autologously transplanted to patients suffering from motor neuron destruction.

[Recovery of movement after spinal cord injury in DO11.10 transgenic mouse].

AIM: To analysis the role of T lymphocytes in spinal cord regeneration by comparing the recovery of movement and the morphological changes of injury area between BALB/c and DO11.10 transgenic mice. METHODS: Producing a crush injury model of spinal cord with special forceps. Analyze the changes of spinal cord injury area with H&E and GFAP, CD11b and lymphocytic immunohistochemical staining. Evaluate the recovery of movement function with Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotion testing system at 0, 7, 14 and 21 day post-injury (dpi). RESULTS: There were thicker and fastened glial scar at 21 dpi in the BALB/c mice but not in DO11.10 mice. The number of macrophages/microglia infiltrated in spinal cord injury area were more in DO11.10 than that in BALB/c mice at 14 dpi. The numbers of T lymphocytes infiltrated in spinal cord injury area were less in DO11.10 than that in BALB/c mice at 21 dpi. In addition, compare to BALB/c mice, the locomotion movement recovery of DO11.10 mice were much more significant within 3 weeks after spinal cord injury by BBB scoring system. CONCLUSION: The infiltrated autoimmune activation T lymphocytes which specifically react to neural antigens are not beneficial to recovery of movement after spinal cord injury in mice.

Thymosin-beta4 attenuates ethanol-induced neurotoxicity in cultured cerebral cortical astrocytes by inhibiting apoptosis.

Thymosin-beta4 (Tbeta4) is a major actin monomer-binding peptide in mammalian tissues and plays a crucial role in the nervous system in synaptogenesis, neuronal survival and migration, axonal growth, and plastic changes of dendritic spines. However, it is unknown whether Tbeta4 is also involved in challenges with external stress such as ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Tbeta4 on ethanol-induced neurotoxicity in cultured cerebral cortical astrocytes and the underlying mechanisms. Primarily cultured astrocytes were treated with 1 microg/ml Tbeta4 2 h prior to administration of 100 mM ethanol for 0.5, 1, 3 and 6 days, respectively. The results showed that ethanol caused neurotoxicity in cultured astrocytes, as shown by declined cell viability, distinct astroglial apoptosis and increased intracellular peroxidation. Tbeta4 markedly promoted cell viability, ameliorated the injury of intracellular glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunopositive cytoskeletal structures, reduced the percentage of apoptotic astrocyte and cellular DNA fragmentation, suppressed caspase-3 activity and upregulated Bcl-2 expression, inhibited the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and production of malondialdehyde in ethanol-treated astrocytes in a time-dependent manner. These data indicated that Tbeta4 attenuates ethanol-induced neurotoxicity in cultured cortical astrocytes through inhibition of apoptosis signaling, and one of the mechanisms underlying the capacity of Tbeta4 to suppress apoptosis may in part be due to its effect of anti-peroxidation.

Immuohistochemical markers for pituicyte.

GFAP has long been adopted as the specific marker for pituicyte, a special type of astrocyte. GFAP and S100beta are two commonly used astrocyte markers. Their immunoreactivities differ in different regions of the brain. To our knowledge this issue has not been studied in pituicyte. In our preliminary study, we found that antibodies against GFAP and S100beta stained the pituicytes differently. A detailed investigation with both light and electron microscopic techniques was thus conducted in the rat. At light microscopic level, anti-GFAP and anti-S100beta stained 66.78% and 86.78% of the pituicytes, respectively. It was found at ultrastructural level that this difference was cell type specific. The parenchymatous pituicytes could be stained with antibodies against both GFAP and S100beta, whereas the fibrous pituicytes were only S100beta-immunoreactive. The functional significance of this cell type specificity remains to be elucidated.

Excitatory and inhibitory effects of prolactin release activated by nerve stimulation in rat anterior pituitary.

BACKGROUND: A series of studies showed the presence of substantial amount of nerve fibers and their close relationship with the anterior pituitary gland cells. Our previous studies have suggested that aside from the classical theory of humoral regulation, the rat anterior pituitary has direct neural regulation on adrenocorticotropic hormone release. In rat anterior pituitary, typical synapses are found on every type of the hormone-secreting cells, many on lactotrophs. The present study was aimed at investigating the physiological significance of this synaptic relationship on prolactin release. METHODS: The anterior pituitary of rat was sliced and stimulated with electrical field in a self-designed perfusion chamber. The perfusate was continuously collected in aliquots and measured by radioimmunoassay for prolactin levels. After statistic analysis, differences of prolactin concentrations within and between groups were outlined. RESULTS: The results showed that stimulation at frequency of 2 Hz caused a quick enhancement of prolactin release, when stimulated at 10 Hz, prolactin release was found to be inhibited which came slower and lasted longer. The effect of nerve stimulation on prolactin release is diphasic and frequency dependent. CONCLUSIONS: The present in vitro study offers the first physiological evidence that stimulation of nerve fibers can affect prolactin release in rat anterior pituitary. Low frequency stimulation enhances prolactin release and high frequency mainly inhibits it.