Open AccessSerum-Deprivation Induces Cell Death of Rat Cultured Microglia Accompanied With Expression of Bax Protein.
Author(s) -
Yutaka Kōyama,
Yuji Kimura,
Yasuhiro Yoshioka,
Daisuke Wakamatsu,
Ryohei Kozaki,
Hitoshi Hashimoto,
Takehisa Matsuda,
Akemichi Baba
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
japanese journal of pharmacology/japanese journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1347-3506
pISSN - 0021-5198
DOI - 10.1254/jjp.83.351
Subject(s) - microglia , apoptosis , programmed cell death , bax protein , cell , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunohistochemistry , cell culture , protein expression , immunology , inflammation , gene , biochemistry , genetics
Expression of Bcl-2 related proteins in rat microglial primary culture was examined. At relative low cell densities, serum deprivation caused cell death and nuclei condensation of cultured microglia. Expression of a pro-apoptotic protein, Bax, but not Bcl-2, was increased by the serum deprivation. SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38MAPK, prevented both the serum deprivation-induced Bax expression and microglial death. Immunochemical staining showed that microglia expressing a high level of Bax were subjected to apoptosis-like cell death. These observations suggest that Bax expression underlies the apoptosis of cultured microglia after serum deprivation.