Temporal dependence of cysteine protease activation following excitotoxic hippocampal injury.

Excitotoxic insults can lead to intracellular signaling cascades that contribute to cell death, in part by activation of proteases, phospholipases, and endonucleases. Cysteine proteases, such as calpains, are calcium (Ca(2+))-activated enzymes which degrade cytoskeletal proteins, including microtubule-associated proteins, tubulin, and spectrin, among others. The current study used the organotypic hippocampal slice culture model to examine whether pharmacologic inhibition of cysteine protease activity inhibits N-methyl-D-aspartate- (NMDA-) induced excitotoxic (20 µM NMDA) cell death and changes in synaptophysin immunoreactivity. Significant NMDA-induced cytotoxicity (as measured by propidium iodide [PI] uptake) was found in the CA1 region of the hippocampus at all timepoints examined (24, 72, 120 h), an effect significantly attenuated by co-exposure to the selective NMDA receptor antagonist DL-2-Amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV), but not MDL-28170, a potent cysteine protease inhibitor. Results indicated sparing of NMDA-induced loss of the synaptic vesicular protein synaptophysin in all regions of the hippocampus by MDL-28170, though only at early timepoints after injury. These results suggest Ca(2+)-dependent recruitment of cysteine proteases within 24h of excitotoxic insult, but activation of alternative cellular degrading mechanisms after 24h. Further, these data suggest that synaptophysin may be a substrate for calpains and related proteases.

Selective vulnerability of hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 pyramidal cells to excitotoxic insult is associated with the expression of polyamine-sensitive N-methyl-D-asparate-type glutamate receptors.

Excess glutamate release and stimulation of post-synaptic glutamatergic receptors have been implicated in the pathophysiology of many neurological diseases. The hippocampus, and the pyramidal cell layer of the cornu ammonus 1 (CA1) region in particular, has been noted for its selective sensitivity to excitotoxic insults. The current studies examined the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit composition and sensitivity to stimulatory effects of the polyamine spermidine, an allosteric modulator of NMDA NR2 subunit activity, in hippocampal CA1 region sensitivity to excitotoxic insult. Organotypic hippocampal slice cultures of 8 day-old neonatal rat were obtained and maintained in vitro for 5 days. At this time, immunohistochemical analysis of mature neuron density (NeuN); microtubule associated protein-2(a,b) density (MAP-2); and NMDA receptor NR1 and NR2B subunit density in the primary cell layers of the dentate gyrus (DG), CA3, and CA1 regions, was conducted. Further, autoradiographic analysis of NMDA receptor distribution and density (i.e. [(125)I]MK-801 binding) and spermidine (100 microM)-potentiated [(125)I]MK-801 binding in the primary cell layers of these regions was examined. A final series of studies examined effects of prolonged exposure to NMDA (0.1-10 microM) on neurodegeneration in the primary cell layers of the DG, CA3, and CA1 regions, in the absence and presence of spermidine (100 microM) or ifenprodil (100 microM), an allosteric inhibitor of NR2B polypeptide subunit activity. The pyramidal cell layer of the CA1 region demonstrated significantly greater density of mature neurons, MAP-2, NR1 and NR2B subunits, and [(125)I]MK-801 binding than the CA3 region or DG. Twenty-four hour NMDA (10 microM) exposure produced marked neurodegeneration (approximately 350% of control cultures) in the CA1 pyramidal cell region that was significantly reduced by co-exposure to ifenprodil or DL-2-Amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV). The addition of spermidine significantly potentiated [(125)I]MK-801 binding and neurodegeneration induced by exposure to a non-toxic concentration of NMDA, exclusively in the CA1 region. This neurodegeneration was markedly reduced with co-exposure to ifenprodil. These data suggest that selective sensitivity of the CA1 region to excitotoxic stimuli may be attributable to the density of mature neurons expressing polyamine-sensitive NR2B polypeptide subunits.