Kanefusa Kato

Induction of 27-kDa heat shock protein following cerebral ischemia in a rat model of ischemic tolerance

Preconditioning the brain with sublethal cerebral ischemia induces tolerance to subsequent lethal periods of ischemia (ischemic tolerance). The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of low-molecular weight stress proteins, 27-kDa heat shock protein (HSP27) and alpha B crystallin, in ischemic tolerance. We measured the content of these proteins with enzyme immunoassay in the rat hippocampus and cerebral cortex following 6 min of ischemia with and without preconditioning with 3 min of ischemia and 3 days of reperfusion. We also visualized the localization of HSP27 immunohistochemically in comparison with that of HSP70. A 3-min period of ischemia caused a 2.4-fold increase in HSP27 content in the hippocampus after 3 days. Immunohistochemical localization of HSP27 was found in glial cells in all subregions of the hippocampus, whereas HSP70 immunostaining was seen only in CA1 pyramidal neurons. HSP27 content in the hippocampus decreased 2 h after 6 min of ischemia. HSP27 content progressively increased in the unpreconditioned hippocampus after 1 and 3 days, but returned to preischemic levels in the preconditioned hippocampus. HSP27 and HSP70 immunostaining was seen in CA1 pyramidal neurons after 1 day both with and without preconditioning. After 3 and 7 days, an intense HSP27 staining was observed in reactive glial cells in the CA1 without preconditioning, whereas the staining decreased in the preconditioned hippocampus. HSP70 staining was seen only in neurons at these time points. We observed no significant changes in HSP27 content in the cerebral cortex although neurons in the third and fifth layers were immunostained after 1 and 3 days. We observed no alterations in alpha B crystallin content after ischemia both in the hippocampus and the cortex. The present study demonstrated that cerebral ischemia induces HSP27 expression but not alpha B crystallin. Both HSP27 and HSP70 induction had a good temporal correlation with the induction of ischemic tolerance. However, different sites of action were suggested because the localization and cell types of HSP27 induction were quite different from those of HSP70 induction. The result suggests that it is unlikely that HSP27 is directly involved in the protection afforded by ischemic preconditioning.

Modulation of the Stress‐Induced Synthesis of hsp27 and αB‐Crystallin by Cyclic AMP in C6 Rat Glioma Cells

Abstract: The possible participation of cyclic AMP in the stress‐induced synthesis of two small stress proteins, hsp27 and αB‐crystallin, in C6 rat glioma cells was examined by specific immunoassays, western blot analysis, and northern blot analysis. When C6 cells were exposed to arsenite (50–100 µM for 1 h) or heat (42°C for 30 min), expression of hsp27 and αB‐crystallin was stimulated, with levels of the two proteins reaching a maximum after 10–16 h of culture. Induction of hsp27 was markedly enhanced when cells were exposed to arsenite in the presence of isoproterenol (20 µM) or epinephrine (20 µM) but not in the presence of phenylephrine. The stimulatory effects of isoproterenol and epinephrine were blocked completely by propranolol, an antagonist of β‐adrenergic receptors. Cholera toxin (2 µg/ml), forskolin (20 µM), and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (2.5 mM), all of which are known to increase intracellular levels of cyclic AMP, also stimulated the arsenite‐ or heat‐induced accumulation of hsp27. Treatment of cells with each of these modulators alone did not result in the induction of hsp27. The level of hsp70 in C6 cells, as estimated by western blot analysis, was also enhanced by arsenite or heat stress. However, induction of hsp70 by stress was barely stimulated by isoproterenol. By contrast, induction of αB‐crystallin by heat or arsenite stress was suppressed when isoproterenol, cholera toxin, forskolin, or dibutyryl cyclic AMP was present during the stress period. Northern blot analysis of the expression of mRNAs for hsp70, hsp27, and αB‐crystallin showed that the modulation of the stress‐induced accumulation of the three hsps by the various agents was regulated at the level of the corresponding mRNA. These results indicate that stress responses of hsp70, hsp27, and αB‐crystallin in C6 rat glioma cells are regulated differently and, moreover, that when the level of cyclic AMP increases in cells, the response to stress of hsp27 is stimulated but that of αB‐crystallin is suppressed.

Immunohistochemical Localization of Superoxide Dismutase in the Hippocampus following Ischemia in a Gerbil Model of Ischemic Tolerance

Pretreatment of the gerbil brain with a 2-min period of sublethal ischemia protects against neuronal damage following a subsequent 3-min period of ischemia, which normally destroys pyramidal neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. To clarify the role of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in this ischemic tolerance, we immunohistochemically investigated the alterations in copper-zinc SOD (CuZnSOD) and manganese SOD (MnSOD) in the gerbil hippocampus following 3-min ischemia with or without the first mild ischemia. Normal hippocampus showed an intense CuZnSOD immunostaining in pyramidal neurons but relatively less MnSOD immunostaining. MnSOD, but not CuZnSOD, immunoreactivity increased after the first ischemia. Both CuZnSOD and MnSOD immunoreactivities decreased throughout the hippocampus 4 h after 3 min of ischemia both with and without the first ischemia. The immunostaining recovered in resistant regions (CA3 and dentate gyrus) after 1 day in both groups and in the pretreated CA, after 2 days. Without pretreatment, however, the immunostaining never recovered in the vulnerable CA, region. The results suggest that ischemic tolerance is induced in part by enhanced synthesis of MnSOD in the tolerance-acquired hippocampus. Both CuZnSOD and MnSOD immunoreactivities decreased after the second ischemia even in the pretreated hippocampus in the early reperfusion periods, but ischemic tolerance facilitated the recovery from the postischemic reductions in SOD immunoreactivity.

Neuron-specific enolase and S-100 protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with various neurological diseases.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100 protein (S-100) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were determined in 129 patients with various neurological diseases. The chronological changes of these nervous system-specific proteins in CSF were also examined in 3 patients with acute disorders. NSE and S-100 levels were elevated in many cases with acute conditions. These specific proteins did not increase simultaneously but independently. These results suggested that NSE and S-100 in CSF would be useful markers for damage of the nervous system and that measurement of both NSE and S-100 might positively indicate whether the damage was neuronal, glial or mixed in origin. Moreover, from the serial determination of these substances, they would be better markers than cell counts and total protein in CSF for the active injury for the nervous tissues.

An immunohistochemical study of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase and manganese superoxide dismutase in rat hippocampus after transient cerebral ischemia

We investigated the changes of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) and manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) in the rat hippocampus after 10 min of cerebral ischemia induced by 4-vessel occlusion. The rats were allowed to survive for 4 h, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days after ischemia. The distribution of SODs were determined by immunohistochemical staining with antibodies against rat CuZn-SOD and Mn-SOD. CA1 pyramidal neurons and granule cells of the dentate gyrus showed intense CuZn-SOD immunoreactivity, whereas CA3 and CA4 neurons showed weaker immunostaining than CA1 neurons in normal animals. The immunoreactivity was reduced by 4 h after ischemia in CA1, CA3, and CA4 neurons when no histological damage was observed. Mn-SOD immunostaining revealed more intense immunoreactivity in CA3 pyramidal neurons than in CA1 neurons in normal animals. Interneurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions and the dentate hilus also showed high Mn-SOD immunostaining. Although CA1 neurons lost Mn-SOD immunoreactivity by 1 day after ischemia, CA3 neurons and interneurons retained the immunoreactivity and preserved intact cell contour after ischemia. In addition, reactive glial cells, which were differentiated by immunocytochemical staining against glial fibrillary acidic protein for reactive astrocytes and histochemical staining for reactive microglial cells, were intensely stained for CuZn-SOD and Mn-SOD after ischemia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Immunohistochemical localization of the low molecular weight stress protein HSP27 following focal cerebral ischemia in the rat

We immunohistochemically investigated the induction and localization of a low-molecular weight stress protein, HSP27, in the rat brain following 1 hr of middle cerebral artery occlusion in comparison with those of HSP70. The brains were perfusion-fixed after 4 h, 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days of reperfusion. Frozen sections were then prepared and used for immunohistochemistry. In normal brains, we observed no immunoreactivities to HSP70 and HSP27. HSP70 was localized predominantly in neurons in areas peripheral to the ischemic center after 1 day and 3 days, and in endothelial cells and perivascular cells within the ischemic center after 1 day. In contrast, HSP27 was induced in microglia in the ischemic center after 4 h, and then in reactive astrocytes distributed widely in the ipsilateral hemisphere and in part of the contralateral hemisphere after 1 through 14 days. In the center of ischemia where infarction developed, only nonspecific staining was seen. Thus, the expression patterns of HSP70 and HSP27 were quite different with regard to cell type, distribution, and time course following focal cerebral ischemia. HSP70 may be a sensitive marker of acute neuronal stress in the penumbral areas, whereas HSP27, which was most prominently induced in reactive astrocytes in periischemic and remote areas, may be a component of glial reaction to injury.

cDNA cloning of a 20-kDa protein (p20) highly homologous to small heat shock proteins: developmental and physiological changes in rat hindlimb muscles

A cDNA clone encoding p20, a novel member of the small heat-shock protein family in mammals, was isolated from a rat soleus cDNA library. The clone contained an insert of 1.3 kb with an open reading frame specifying a polypeptide of 162 amino-acid residues. Southern blot analysis suggested that the p20 gene is a single gene in rat genome. Developmental changes and a sciatic nerve denervation experiment suggested that the expression of p20 in rat hindlimb muscle is related to muscle contraction, and specifically in slow-twitch muscles.

Induction of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase by Cytokines and Lipopolysaccharide in Cultured Mouse Astrocytes

Abstract: To determine whether cytokines or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are involved in the induction of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the nervous system, we examined the effects of these substances on the levels of SOD in cultured mouse astrocytes. Treatment of astrocytes with 102 to 104 U/ml tumor necrosis factor‐α for 3 days increased the levels of Mn SOD in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner to as much as six times the level under nontreated conditions. Treatment with 1.0 µg/ml LPS for 3 days elicited a fourfold increase in levels of Mn SOD, and the effect of LPS was also dose dependent. Furthermore, Mn SOD in astrocytes was induced by a 3‐day exposure to interleukin‐1α at concentrations of 102 or 103 U/ml. However, these stimuli had no effect on levels of copper‐zinc SOD (Cu/Zn SOD) in astrocytes. By contrast, interferon‐γ did not change the levels of either Mn or Cu/Zn SOD in the cells. The results indicate that the selective induction of Mn SOD by cytokines and LPS, which has been observed in nonnervous tissues, may also occur in nervous tissues. The induction of Mn SOD may represent a mechanism for protection of cells from oxidative stress.

Cerebrospinal fluid levels of superoxide dismutases in neurological diseases detected by sensitive enzyme immunoassays

We measured cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) and Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) using enzyme immunoassays in 196 neurological patients and 44 controls. The mean Cu/Zn SOD level was 55.8 +/- 27.6 (SD) ng/ml and the Mn SOD, 8.0 +/- 2.5 ng/ml in the controls. Cu/Zn SOD or Mn SOD levels showed neither age-nor sex-related differences in the controls. Both SODs were markedly elevated in cerebrovascular diseases, bacterial meningitis and encephalitis. Mn SOD alone was significantly elevated in neurodegenerative diseases. We compared SODs with CSF levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100b protein (S-100b) in cerebral infarction and bacterial meningitis. Both SODs were correlated with NSE and S-100b in patients with cerebral infarction, but not in those with bacterial meningitis. This means that elevations of SODs in CSF may not only be due to leakage from damaged nervous tissues, but also to the induction of SOD in lesions. We conclude that the mean SOD levels were elevated in various neurological diseases, and their varied magnitudes may be associated with the underlying diseases.

An immunohistochemical study of heat shock protein-27 in the hippocampus in a gerbil model of cerebral ischemia and ischemic tolerance

Preconditioning of the gerbil brain with a 2-min period of sublethal ischemia protects against neuronal damage following a subsequent 3-min period of ischemia which normally damages CA1 neurons of the hippocampus (ischemic tolerance). In this study, we investigated the role of a small stress protein, heat shock protein-27, in the induction of ischemic tolerance. For this purpose, we used immunohistochemistry with an antibody against heat shock protein-27. Normal hippocampus contained very low levels of heat shock protein-27. The preconditioning ischemia for 2 min caused little changes in the heat shock protein-27 immunostaining in CA1 neurons but an increase in heat shock protein-27 immunostaining in a small number of astrocytes in the CA3 region and in many astrocytes in the dentate hilus. The second ischemia for 3 min caused no specific changes in heat shock protein-27 immunostaining in CA1 neurons both with and without tolerance in early reperfusion periods. After seven days, destruction of CA1 neurons occurred in animals without preconditioning and reactive astrocytes were intensely immunostained for heat shock protein-27. An intense heat shock protein-27 immunostaining was also seen in astrocytes in the dentate hilus after the second ischemia in both groups. Thus, we observed no temporal correlation between the induction of heat shock protein-27 and the manifestation of ischemic tolerance in the CA1 neurons. Most intense heat shock protein-27 immunostaining was observed in reactive astrocytes that accumulated in the damaged CA1 region and dentate hilus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)