TY - JOUR
T1 - Activation and redistribution of c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress activated protein kinase in degenerating neurons in Alzheimer's disease
AU - Zhu, Xiongwei
AU - Raina, Arun K.
AU - Rottkamp, Catherine
AU - Aliev, Gjumrakch
AU - Perry, George
AU - Boux, Heather
AU - Smith, Mark A.
PY - 2001/2/5
Y1 - 2001/2/5
N2 - Cellular responses to increased oxidative stress appear to be a mechanism that contributes to the varied cytopathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this regard, we suspect that c-Jun N-terminal kinase/Stress activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK), a major cellular stress response protein induced by oxidative stress, plays an important role in Alzheimer disease in susceptible neurons facing the dilemma of proliferation or death. We found that JNK2/SAPK-α and JNK3/SAPK-β were related to neurofibrillary pathology and JNK1/SAP-Kγ related to Hirano bodies in cases of AD but were only weakly diffuse in the cytoplasm in all neurons in control cases and in non-involved neurons in diseased brain. In this regard, in hippocampal and cortical regions of individuals with severe AD, the activated phospho-JNK/SAPK was localized exclusively in association with neurofibrillar alterations including neurofibrillary tangles, senile plaque neurites, neuropil threads and granulovacuolar degeneration structures (GVD), completely overlapping with τ-positive neurofibrillary pathology, but was virtually absent in these brain regions in younger and age-matched controls without pathology. However, in control patients with some pathology, as well as in mild AD cases, there was nuclear phospho-JNK/SAPK and translocation of phospho-JNK/SAPK from nuclei to cytoplasm, respectively, indicating that the activation and re-distribution of JNK/SAPK correlates with the progress of the disease. By immunoblot analysis, phospho-JNK/SAPK is significantly increased in AD over control cases. Together, these findings suggest that JNK/SAPK dysregulation, probably resulting from oxidative stress, plays an important role in the increased phosphorylation of cytoskeletal proteins found in AD.
AB - Cellular responses to increased oxidative stress appear to be a mechanism that contributes to the varied cytopathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this regard, we suspect that c-Jun N-terminal kinase/Stress activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK), a major cellular stress response protein induced by oxidative stress, plays an important role in Alzheimer disease in susceptible neurons facing the dilemma of proliferation or death. We found that JNK2/SAPK-α and JNK3/SAPK-β were related to neurofibrillary pathology and JNK1/SAP-Kγ related to Hirano bodies in cases of AD but were only weakly diffuse in the cytoplasm in all neurons in control cases and in non-involved neurons in diseased brain. In this regard, in hippocampal and cortical regions of individuals with severe AD, the activated phospho-JNK/SAPK was localized exclusively in association with neurofibrillar alterations including neurofibrillary tangles, senile plaque neurites, neuropil threads and granulovacuolar degeneration structures (GVD), completely overlapping with τ-positive neurofibrillary pathology, but was virtually absent in these brain regions in younger and age-matched controls without pathology. However, in control patients with some pathology, as well as in mild AD cases, there was nuclear phospho-JNK/SAPK and translocation of phospho-JNK/SAPK from nuclei to cytoplasm, respectively, indicating that the activation and re-distribution of JNK/SAPK correlates with the progress of the disease. By immunoblot analysis, phospho-JNK/SAPK is significantly increased in AD over control cases. Together, these findings suggest that JNK/SAPK dysregulation, probably resulting from oxidative stress, plays an important role in the increased phosphorylation of cytoskeletal proteins found in AD.
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - Cytoskeleton
KW - Oxidative stress
KW - Phosphorylation
KW - Signal transduction
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0035142804&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2001.00046.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2001.00046.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 11208906
AN - SCOPUS:0035142804
VL - 76
SP - 435
EP - 441
JO - Journal of Neurochemistry
JF - Journal of Neurochemistry
SN - 0022-3042
IS - 2
ER -