Apoptosis is a genetically regulated cell death program, which shows distinct morphological characteristics. It takes place during neuronal development and in some neurodegenerative diseases. During apoptosis, the intracellular proteins are degraded by various caspases, cysteine aspartases, which are regulated by pro- and anti-apoptotic signals. This thesis elucidates the role of anti-apoptotic proteins in nerve cell survival and neurodegeneration. Studies have focused on Bcl-2 family members and Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins (IAP).XIAP and RIAP-2 are IAP proteins, which are expressed by neurons in the central nervous system. Kainic acid, a glutamate receptor agonist that induces seizures, increased XIAP immunoreactivity in rat hippocampus, whereas RIAP-2 expression in the same time decreased in degenerating neurons. Both XIAP and RIAP-2 were absent in dying neurons indicating that these proteins have a protective role in kainic acid induced neurodegeneration.NAIP, another IAP family member, was shown to interact with the calcium binding protein Hippocalcin using the yeast two-hybrid system and immunoprecipitation experiments…
Contents
INTRODUCTION
Apoptosis
General features
Signals for apoptosis
C.Elegans
Caspases
The role of mitochondria
Apaf and apoptosome complex
Anti-apoptotic mechanisms
The Bcl-2 family
The Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein Family
Neuronal cell death and survival
Cell death during development
Neurodegeneration
Estrogen and estrogen receptors
Methods to study neuronal cell death and survival Dorsal root ganglion neurons
Motoneurons
Hippocampal neurons
Kainic acid model
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Experimental animals
Cell culture
Cell biology methods
Molecular biology methods
Cloning
Statistical methods and image analysis
PRESENT INVESTIGATIONS
Aims
Results and comments
Papers
General discussion
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
REFERENCES
Author: Korhonen, Laura
Source: Uppsala University Library
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