Modulation of Astrocytic Glutamine Synthetase by Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol in JNK-Independent Pathway.

Background and Objective: The glutamine synthetase (GS), an astrocyte-specific enzyme, plays an important role in neuroprotection through the glutamate/glutamine shuttle and can be modulated by endocannabinoid (eCB) 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) through extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase ½ (ERK1/2) and p38 signaling pathways. However, the role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in the modulation of GS in astrocytes by 2-AG is not clear. Materials and Methods: The expression of GS and JNK in astrocytes following the exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was examined with Western blotting and immunochemistry. Results: The results revealed that short-term exposure to LPS activated GS and increased phosphorylation of JNK in astrocytes in a time-dependent manner. Treatment with 2-AG reversed the changes in GS but had no effect on the activation of JNK. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the activation of JNK induced by LPS is not involved in the modulation of astrocytic GS by 2-AG.

Wang J ，Wang S ，Zhang H 《-》

2-arachidonyl glycerol modulates astrocytic glutamine synthetase via p38 and ERK1/2 pathways.

Wang S ，Zhang H ，Geng B ，Xie Q ，Li W ，Deng Y ，Shi W ，Pan Y ，Kang X ，Wang J ... -  《Journal of Neuroinflammation》

Modulation of astrocytic glutamine synthetase expression and cell viability by histamine in cultured cortical astrocytes exposed to OGD insults.

Histamine, a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator has been demonstrated to be neuroprotective in cerebral ischemia. However, few reports concern its function on astrocytes during cerebral ischemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of histamine on astrocytic cell damage and glutamate signaling, especially on glutamine synthetase (GS) expression in primary cultured cortical astrocytes exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) insult. OGD for 6h caused a severe damage of astrocytic mitochondrial function, and decreased GS expression and then increased the extracellular glutamate level. Pretreatment with histamine significantly prevented the cell damage and rescued the expression of GS in a concentration-dependent manner. The protective effect of histamine on astrocytic cell damage could be partly reversed either by H1 receptor antagonist pyrilamine or H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine. However, the regulatory effect of histamine on GS expression was antagonized only by pyrilamine. In addition, bisindolylmaleimide II, a broad-spectrum inhibitor of PKC, reversed the regulatory action of histamine on GS expression. These results indicate that histamine can effectively protect against OGD-induced cell damage in astrocytes through H1 and H2 receptors, and its regulatory effect on astrocytic GS expression may be due to the activation of H1 receptor and PKC pathway. Histamine may be an endogenous protective factor and calls for its further study as a regulator of astrocyte function during ischemic stroke.

Wang XF ，Hu WW ，Yan HJ ，Tan L ，Gao JQ ，Tian YY ，Shi XJ ，Hou WW ，Li J ，Shen Y ，Chen Z ... -  《-》

Noradrenergic regulation of period1 expression in spinal astrocytes is involved in protein kinase A, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation mediated by α1- and β2-adrenoceptors.

Our recent data suggest that noradrenaline (NA) regulates expression of Per1 mRNA in rat C6 cells, as a model of brain astrocytes, by two distinct NA-mediating pathways. Although C6 cells possess potential astrocyte-type characteristics, we hypothesize that astrocytes located in a distinct tissue or organ play specific roles consistent with their own unique functions in response to the surrounding environment. We have herein found in primary rat spinal astrocytes using real-time RT-PCR that NA induced robust transient increases in Per1, Cry1, Cry2 and Bmal1 mRNA expression. Cry1, Cry2 and Bmal1 expressions induced by NA were attenuated by transfection of Per1 small interference RNA (siRNA). The effect of NA on Per1 expression was partially blocked by either prazosin (a selective antagonist of α1-adrenoceptor) or ICI118551 (a selective antagonist of β2-adrenoceptor), and completely blocked by the combination of both antagonists. Treatment with H89 (a protein kinase A [PKA] inhibitor), SP600125 (a c-Jun N-terminal kinase [JNK] inhibitor), or PD98059 (an extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK] inhibitor), partially inhibited NA-induced Per1 mRNA expression, and the combination of these three inhibitors inhibited expression to nearly a non-stimulated level. Furthermore, NA phosphorylated not only ERK but also JNK1, an effect that was detected by western blotting. These actions were inhibited only by prazosin, and not by ICI118551. In addition, we found that NA induced phosphorylation of transcription-related proteins such as cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and c-Jun. These phosphorylation processes were regulated through distinct pathways: CREB phosphorylation was dependent on the PKA and JNK pathways but c-Jun phosphorylation was mediated by the ERK and JNK pathways. These results suggest that Per1 plays a key role in noradrenergic regulation on clock gene expression in spinal astrocytes and activation of α1 and β2 adrenoceptors are of importance in regulation of Per1 mRNA expression via PKA/JNK-CREB and ERK/JNK-c-Jun cascades.

Sugimoto T ，Morioka N ，Sato K ，Hisaoka K ，Nakata Y ... -  《-》

Inhibition of spinal astrocytic c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation correlates with the analgesic effects of ketamine in neuropathic pain.

Mei XP ，Zhang H ，Wang W ，Wei YY ，Zhai MZ ，Wang W ，Xu LX ，Li YQ ... -  《Journal of Neuroinflammation》