Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1994 Feb 15;91(4):1470–1474. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.4.1470

Inhibition of PC12 cell redox activity is a specific, early indicator of the mechanism of beta-amyloid-mediated cell death.

M S Shearman 1, C I Ragan 1, L L Iversen 1
PMCID: PMC43181  PMID: 8108433

Abstract

An in vitro tissue culture cell model system for investigating the biochemical mechanisms involved in the neurodegenerative actions of beta-amyloid has been established. Using rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells, it was found that an early, specific response of cells to the beta-amyloid protein or the beta-amyloid fragment 25-35 was a potent inhibition of cellular redox activity, as measured by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction. This inhibitory response was rapid and occurred at nanomolar concentrations of peptide, concentrations at which no equivalent decreases in cell proliferation or cell survival were observed. The inhibition of PC12 cell MTT reduction was initially reversible upon removal of the peptide; if sustained for several days, however, by repeated peptide application, it became associated with a dramatic reduction in cell survival. Inhibition of MTT reduction may, therefore, be an early indicator of the mechanism of beta-amyloid-mediated cell death.

Full text

PDF
1470

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Behl C., Davis J., Cole G. M., Schubert D. Vitamin E protects nerve cells from amyloid beta protein toxicity. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1992 Jul 31;186(2):944–950. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(92)90837-b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Citron M., Oltersdorf T., Haass C., McConlogue L., Hung A. Y., Seubert P., Vigo-Pelfrey C., Lieberburg I., Selkoe D. J. Mutation of the beta-amyloid precursor protein in familial Alzheimer's disease increases beta-protein production. Nature. 1992 Dec 17;360(6405):672–674. doi: 10.1038/360672a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Copani A., Koh J. Y., Cotman C. W. Beta-amyloid increases neuronal susceptibility to injury by glucose deprivation. Neuroreport. 1991 Dec;2(12):763–765. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199112000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Corder E. H., Saunders A. M., Strittmatter W. J., Schmechel D. E., Gaskell P. C., Small G. W., Roses A. D., Haines J. L., Pericak-Vance M. A. Gene dose of apolipoprotein E type 4 allele and the risk of Alzheimer's disease in late onset families. Science. 1993 Aug 13;261(5123):921–923. doi: 10.1126/science.8346443. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Forloni G., Angeretti N., Chiesa R., Monzani E., Salmona M., Bugiani O., Tagliavini F. Neurotoxicity of a prion protein fragment. Nature. 1993 Apr 8;362(6420):543–546. doi: 10.1038/362543a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Forloni G., Chiesa R., Smiroldo S., Verga L., Salmona M., Tagliavini F., Angeretti N. Apoptosis mediated neurotoxicity induced by chronic application of beta amyloid fragment 25-35. Neuroreport. 1993 May;4(5):523–526. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199305000-00015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Frautschy S. A., Baird A., Cole G. M. Effects of injected Alzheimer beta-amyloid cores in rat brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Oct 1;88(19):8362–8366. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.19.8362. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hansen M. B., Nielsen S. E., Berg K. Re-examination and further development of a precise and rapid dye method for measuring cell growth/cell kill. J Immunol Methods. 1989 May 12;119(2):203–210. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(89)90397-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Knauer M. F., Soreghan B., Burdick D., Kosmoski J., Glabe C. G. Intracellular accumulation and resistance to degradation of the Alzheimer amyloid A4/beta protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Aug 15;89(16):7437–7441. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.16.7437. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Koh J. Y., Yang L. L., Cotman C. W. Beta-amyloid protein increases the vulnerability of cultured cortical neurons to excitotoxic damage. Brain Res. 1990 Nov 19;533(2):315–320. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(90)91355-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kowall N. W., Beal M. F., Busciglio J., Duffy L. K., Yankner B. A. An in vivo model for the neurodegenerative effects of beta amyloid and protection by substance P. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Aug 15;88(16):7247–7251. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.16.7247. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Loo D. T., Copani A., Pike C. J., Whittemore E. R., Walencewicz A. J., Cotman C. W. Apoptosis is induced by beta-amyloid in cultured central nervous system neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Sep 1;90(17):7951–7955. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.17.7951. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mann D. M., Yates P. O., Marcyniuk B. Correlation between senile plaque and neurofibrillary tangle counts in cerebral cortex and neuronal counts in cortex and subcortical structures in Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Lett. 1985 May 1;56(1):51–55. doi: 10.1016/0304-3940(85)90439-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Masters C. L., Simms G., Weinman N. A., Multhaup G., McDonald B. L., Beyreuther K. Amyloid plaque core protein in Alzheimer disease and Down syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Jun;82(12):4245–4249. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.12.4245. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mattson M. P., Cheng B., Davis D., Bryant K., Lieberburg I., Rydel R. E. beta-Amyloid peptides destabilize calcium homeostasis and render human cortical neurons vulnerable to excitotoxicity. J Neurosci. 1992 Feb;12(2):376–389. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.12-02-00376.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Murphy T. H., Miyamoto M., Sastre A., Schnaar R. L., Coyle J. T. Glutamate toxicity in a neuronal cell line involves inhibition of cystine transport leading to oxidative stress. Neuron. 1989 Jun;2(6):1547–1558. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(89)90043-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Pike C. J., Burdick D., Walencewicz A. J., Glabe C. G., Cotman C. W. Neurodegeneration induced by beta-amyloid peptides in vitro: the role of peptide assembly state. J Neurosci. 1993 Apr;13(4):1676–1687. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-04-01676.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pike C. J., Walencewicz A. J., Glabe C. G., Cotman C. W. Aggregation-related toxicity of synthetic beta-amyloid protein in hippocampal cultures. Eur J Pharmacol. 1991 Aug 14;207(4):367–368. doi: 10.1016/0922-4106(91)90014-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pike C. J., Walencewicz A. J., Glabe C. G., Cotman C. W. In vitro aging of beta-amyloid protein causes peptide aggregation and neurotoxicity. Brain Res. 1991 Nov 1;563(1-2):311–314. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(91)91553-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Price D. L., Borchelt D. R., Sisodia S. S. Alzheimer disease and the prion disorders amyloid beta-protein and prion protein amyloidoses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Jul 15;90(14):6381–6384. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.14.6381. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Priestley T., Horne A. L., McKernan R. M., Kemp J. A. The effect of NMDA receptor glycine site antagonists on hypoxia-induced neurodegeneration of rat cortical cell cultures. Brain Res. 1990 Oct 29;531(1-2):183–188. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(90)90772-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Saunders A. M., Strittmatter W. J., Schmechel D., George-Hyslop P. H., Pericak-Vance M. A., Joo S. H., Rosi B. L., Gusella J. F., Crapper-MacLachlan D. R., Alberts M. J. Association of apolipoprotein E allele epsilon 4 with late-onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Neurology. 1993 Aug;43(8):1467–1472. doi: 10.1212/wnl.43.8.1467. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Schubert D., Kimura H., Maher P. Growth factors and vitamin E modify neuronal glutamate toxicity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Sep 1;89(17):8264–8267. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.17.8264. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Selkoe D. J. The molecular pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Neuron. 1991 Apr;6(4):487–498. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(91)90052-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Seubert P., Oltersdorf T., Lee M. G., Barbour R., Blomquist C., Davis D. L., Bryant K., Fritz L. C., Galasko D., Thal L. J. Secretion of beta-amyloid precursor protein cleaved at the amino terminus of the beta-amyloid peptide. Nature. 1993 Jan 21;361(6409):260–263. doi: 10.1038/361260a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Strittmatter W. J., Saunders A. M., Schmechel D., Pericak-Vance M., Enghild J., Salvesen G. S., Roses A. D. Apolipoprotein E: high-avidity binding to beta-amyloid and increased frequency of type 4 allele in late-onset familial Alzheimer disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Mar 1;90(5):1977–1981. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.5.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Strittmatter W. J., Weisgraber K. H., Huang D. Y., Dong L. M., Salvesen G. S., Pericak-Vance M., Schmechel D., Saunders A. M., Goldgaber D., Roses A. D. Binding of human apolipoprotein E to synthetic amyloid beta peptide: isoform-specific effects and implications for late-onset Alzheimer disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Sep 1;90(17):8098–8102. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.17.8098. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Tanzi R. E., St George-Hyslop P. H., Gusella J. F. Molecular genetic approaches to Alzheimer's disease. Trends Neurosci. 1989 Apr;12(4):152–158. doi: 10.1016/0166-2236(89)90055-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Wisniewski T., Golabek A., Matsubara E., Ghiso J., Frangione B. Apolipoprotein E: binding to soluble Alzheimer's beta-amyloid. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1993 Apr 30;192(2):359–365. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1993.1423. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Yankner B. A., Duffy L. K., Kirschner D. A. Neurotrophic and neurotoxic effects of amyloid beta protein: reversal by tachykinin neuropeptides. Science. 1990 Oct 12;250(4978):279–282. doi: 10.1126/science.2218531. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES