During ischemic brain injury, glutamate accumulation leads to overstimulation of postsynaptic glutamate receptors with intracellular Ca2+ overload and neuronal cell death. Here we show that glutamate can induce either early necrosis or delayed apoptosis in cultures of cerebellar granule cells. During and shortly after exposure to glutamate, a subpopulation of neurons died by necrosis. In these cells, mitochondrial membrane potential collapsed, nuclei swelled, and intracellular debris were scattered in the incubation medium. Neurons surviving the early necrotic phase recovered mitochondrial potential and energy levels. Later, they underwent apoptosis, as shown by the formation of apoptotic nuclei and by chromatin degradation into high and low molecular weight fragments. These results suggest that mitochondrial function is a critical factor that determines the mode of neuronal death in excitotoxicity.

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated neurotoxicity may depend, in part, on the generation of nitric oxide (NO.) and superoxide anion (O2.-), which react to form peroxynitrite (OONO-). This form of neurotoxicity is thought to contribute to a final common pathway of injury in a wide variety of acute and chronic neurologic disorders, including focal ischemia, trauma, epilepsy, Huntington disease, Alzheimer disease, amyotrophic lateral scelerosis, AIDS dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we report that exposure of cortical neurons to relatively short durations or low concentrations of NMDA, S-nitrosocysteine, or 3-morpholinosydnonimine, which generate low levels of peroxynitrite, induces a delayed form of neurotoxicity predominated by apoptotic features. Pretreatment with superoxide dismutase and catalase to scavenge O2.- partially prevents the apoptotic process triggered by S-nitrosocysteine or 3-morpholinosydnonimine. In contrast, intense exposure to high concentrations of NMDA or peroxynitrite induces necrotic cell damage characterized by acute swelling and lysis, which cannot be ameliorated by superoxide dismutase and catalase. Thus, depending on the intensity of the initial insult, NMDA or nitric oxide/superoxide can result in either apoptotic or necrotic neuronal cell damage.

The amyloid ␤-peptide (A␤) has been suggested to exert its toxicity intracellularly. Mitochondrial functions can be negatively affected by A␤ and accumulation of A␤ has been detected in mitochondria. Because A␤ is not likely to be produced locally in mitochondria, we decided to investigate the mechanisms for mitochondrial A␤ uptake. Our results from rat mitochondria show that A␤ is transported into mitochondria via the translocase of the outer membrane (TOM) machinery. The import was insensitive to valinomycin, indicating that it is independent of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Subfractionation studies following the import experiments revealed A␤ association with the inner membrane fraction, and immunoelectron microscopy after import showed localization of A␤ to mitochondrial cristae. A similar distribution pattern of A␤ in mitochondria was shown by immunoelectron microscopy in human cortical brain biopsies obtained from living subjects with normal pressure hydrocephalus. Thus, we present a unique import mechanism for A␤ in mitochondria and demonstrate both in vitro and in vivo that A␤ is located to the mitochondrial cristae. Importantly, we also show that extracellulary applied A␤ can be internalized by human neuroblastoma cells and can colocalize with mitochondrial markers. Together, these results provide further insight into the mitochondrial uptake of A␤, a peptide considered to be of major significance in Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer disease ͉ protein import ͉ human brain biopsies T he amyloid-␤ peptide (A␤) is produced by regulated intramembrane proteolysis of the A␤ precursor protein (APP) by the sequential cleavage by ␤-and ␥-secretases (1-2). Plaques consisting mainly of aggregated A␤ are detected in the neuropil in aged subjects and in particular in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (3-5). Recently, it has been argued that it is A␤ oligomers and fibrils that cause toxicity, loss of synapses, and ultimately neuronal death (6-9). The exact mechanisms of how A␤ damages the neurons are still unknown; however, several lines of evidence implicate that A␤ exerts its toxicity intracellularly (10, 11) and point toward a role of mitochondria in this process (12). It has been reported that mitochondrial A␤ accumulation impairs neuronal function and, thus, contributes to cellular dysfunction in a transgenic APP mouse model (13). It is noteworthy that in AD at an early stage there is already a reduction in the number of mitochondria (14), the brain glucose metabolism is decreased (15), and the activities of both tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes (16) and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) are reduced (17)(18)(19)(20). In vitro studies with isolated mitochondria suggest that A␤ 1-42 inhibits COX activity in a copper-dependent manner (21). Furthermore, mitochondrial A␤-binding alcohol dehydrogenase (ABAD) has been found to be up-regulated in neurons from AD patients (22), and A␤ has been shown to interact with ABAD, resulting in free radical production and neuronal apoptosis. Recently, we have shown that preseque...

It is well-established that subcompartments of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are in physical contact with the mitochondria. These lipid raft-like regions of ER are referred to as mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs), and they play an important role in, for example, lipid synthesis, calcium homeostasis, and apoptotic signaling. Perturbation of MAM function has previously been suggested in Alzheimer's disease (AD) as shown in fibroblasts from AD patients and a neuroblastoma cell line containing familial presenilin-2 AD mutation. The effect of AD pathogenesis on the ER-mitochondria interplay in the brain has so far remained unknown. Here, we studied ERmitochondria contacts in human AD brain and related AD mouse and neuronal cell models. We found uniform distribution of MAM in neurons. Phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting protein-2 and σ1 receptor, two MAM-associated proteins, were shown to be essential for neuronal survival, because siRNA knockdown resulted in degeneration. Up-regulated MAM-associated proteins were found in the AD brain and amyloid precursor protein (APP) Swe/Lon mouse model, in which up-regulation was observed before the appearance of plaques. By studying an ER-mitochondria bridging complex, inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor-voltage-dependent anion channel, we revealed that nanomolar concentrations of amyloid β-peptide increased inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor and voltage-dependent anion channel protein expression and elevated the number of ER-mitochondria contact points and mitochondrial calcium concentrations. Our data suggest an important role of ER-mitochondria contacts and cross-talk in AD pathology.AD mouse models | hippocampal neurons | human cortical brain tissue

Nitric oxide (NO) is a diffusible messenger involved in several patho-physiological processes including immune-mediated cytotoxicity and neural cell killing. NO or the products of its redox chemistry can cause DNA damage and activate subsequent lethal reactions including energy depletion and cell necrosis. However, regardless of whether it is endogenously produced in response to cytokines, or generated by chemical breakdown of donor molecules, NO can also induce apoptosis in different systems. Here, we report that NO generation in response to a cytokine induced NO-synthase or by NO donors stimulates the expression of the tumor suppressor gene, ~53, in RAW 264.7 macrophages or pancreatic RINm5F cells prior to apoptosis. NO-synthase inhibitors such as No-monomethyl+arginine prevent the inducible NO generation as well as p53 expression and apoptosis. Since ~53 expression is linked to apoptosis in some cells exposed to DNA damaging agents, we suggest that NO-induced apoptosis in these cell systems is the consequence of DNA damage and subsequent expression of this tumor suppressor gene.Key words: Nitric oxide; ~53; Apoptosis; DNA fragmentation IntraductiollNitric oxide (NO) is a messenger molecule involved in several processes including relaxation of smooth muscle, neurotransmission, and tumor cell as well as bacteria killing [l-3]. However, induction of a high output system for NO in response to cytokines or a massive production of NO following accumulation of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate [4,5] can result in cell killing. Neurons [6], pancreatic B-cells [7] or macrophages [8,9] seem to be particularly sensitive to NO toxicity. While in some systems NO can react with other radicals and effectively cause cell death by necrosis, in others the progressive intra-or extracellular generation of NO has been suggested to cause apoptosis [8,10,11]. Mechanisms proposed for NO toxicity include its interaction with protein thiol groups [3,12] or iron-sulfur proteins [13], or by direct DNA damage [14]. The latter, regardless of whether it is induced by radiation or by drugs such as etoposide, can result in apoptosis [ 15,161. Expression of wild-type ~53, a tumor suppressor gene, seems to be closely linked to apoptosis caused by most of the DNA-damaging agents [15,16]. The wild-type nuclear phosphoprotein ~53, originally characterized as a tumor suppressor protein [17], acts as a checkpoint control in the cell cycle, permitting the repair of damaged DNA. The block in GJS transition which results from ~53 activation has been suggested to cause apoptosis in the case of severe DNA damage [18,19]. More recently, it has become apparent that the ~53 gene product can take part directly in the apoptotic process [20]. Materials and methods MaterialsThe mouse macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.7 was provided by Prof. A. Wendel, Faculty of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany. LPS (Escherichia coli serotype 0127:B8), NMMA, protein A-Sepharose, and SNP were purchased from Sigma, Deisenhofen, *Corresponding author. Fa...