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Activation of G Proteins Bidirectionally Affects Apoptosis of Cultured Cerebellar Granule Neurons
Author(s) -
Yan GuangMei,
Lin SuiZhen,
Irwin Robert P.,
Paul Steven M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1995.65062425.x
Subject(s) - pertussis toxin , microbiology and biotechnology , granule (geology) , cerebellum , biology , apoptosis , mastoparan , depolarization , stimulation , cholera toxin , neuroscience , biochemistry , g protein , signal transduction , biophysics , endocrinology , paleontology
Cultured cerebellar granule neurons maintained in depolarizing concentrations of K + (25 m M ) and then switched to physiological concentrations of K + (5 m M ) undergo apoptosis. We now report that activation of specific G proteins robustly and bidirectionally affects apoptosis of cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons. Stimulation of G s with cholera toxin completely blocks apoptosis induced by nondepolarizing concentrations of K + , whereas stimulation of G o /G i with the wasp venom peptide mastoparan induces apoptosis of cerebellar granule neurons even in high (depolarizing) concentrations of K + . Moreover, pretreatment of cerebellar granule neurons with cholera toxin attenuates neuronal death induced by mastoparan. By contrast, pertussis toxin, cell‐permeable analogues of cyclic AMP, and activators of protein kinase A do not affect apoptosis of cultured cerebellar granule neurons. These data suggest that G proteins may function as key switches for controlling the programmed death of mammalian neurons, especially in the developing CNS.