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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 279, Issue 33, 34948-34956, August 13, 2004
Apolipoprotein E Receptors Mediate Neurite Outgrowth through Activation of p44/42 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase in Primary Neurons*![]() ![]() ¶
From the
Received for publication, January 30, 2004 , and in revised form, May 20, 2004.
Several ligands of the endocytic low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), such as apoE-containing lipoproteins and activated 2-macroglobulin ( 2M*), promote neurite outgrowth, suggesting that LRP may have signaling functions. In this study, we found that the treatment of neurons with 2M* significantly increased the individual length (by 71%) and numbers (by 139%) of neurites of primary mouse cortical neurons. These effects were blocked by the LRP antagonist, the receptor-associated protein. We found similar neurite outgrowth with purified apoE3 and a tandem apoE peptide containing only the receptor-binding domain. To investigate the intracellular pathway of the LRP signaling involved in neurite outgrowth, we tested the effects of 2M* on the phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). We found that 1) phospho-MAP kinase levels were altered within 30 min after treatment with 2M*, 2) the MAP kinase inhibitor, PD98059, specifically blocked the 2M*-induced neurite outgrowth, 3) manipulating intracellular calcium by BayK or BAPTA altered the neurite outgrowth and associated changes in the phospho-MAP kinase levels, which were blunted by 2M*, 4) 2M* promoted the phosphorylation of the transcription factor CREB through MAP kinase, and 5) LRP-specific antibodies increased levels of phosphorylated MAP kinase and phosphorylated CREB. The effects of 2M*, apoE3, and apoE peptides increased LRP levels in the cortical neurons, whereas LRP receptor-associated protein reduced dendritic LRP expression. These results demonstrate that p44/42 MAP kinase plays an important role in LRP-mediated neurite outgrowth with activation involving the effects on calcium homeostasis and downstream effects involving the activation of gene transcription through CREB.
LRP1 is a 600-kDa multifunctional cell surface receptor containing multiple ligand binding sites and a high affinity Ca2+-binding site, which is important for receptor conformation and ligand recognition (1). LRP directs ligands including apolipoprotein E (apoE) (2) and activated 2-macroglobulin ( 2M*) (1) to degradation. LRP is strongly expressed in the central nervous system (3). Among the diverse ligands for LRP, 2M* is of particular interest because of its robust association with cytokines (46) and neurodegeneration (7). 2M is a large tetrameric protein that has established roles as a multifunctional proteinase inhibitor and in the binding and clearance of a variety of small molecules including cytokines (8), growth factors (9), and endogenous soluble -amyloid peptide (10, 11). When 2M has been "activated" by protease or chemical modification ( 2M*), it becomes a competent ligand for binding and clearance by LRP. Although 2M* can be a neurotrophic factor, little is known regarding the downstream signaling of 2M*. To assess the potential functions of 2M* in the central nervous system, we examined the short term and long term effects of 2M* exposure on an important neuronal function in the cortex of the brain, neurite outgrowth.
Neuronal differentiation and axonal growth are controlled by a variety of factors (12). In a highly simplified model (12), the signals generated within peripheral domain and central domains of the growth cone have distinct functions in controlling growth cone motility. Signals generated in the peripheral domain, such as intracellular calcium, are instructive signals for growth and guidance, whereas those generated in the central domain, such as activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), are more likely to be permissive signals. However, in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, the factors that alter neurite outgrowth involving calcium MAP kinase cascade could promote degenerative processes leading to the neuritic dystrophy observed.
Previous studies from our laboratory and others demonstrate that
Cell CultureCortical neurons from 16-day-old embryonic Swiss Webster mice were isolated by a standard enzyme treatment protocol (15, 18). Cortices were dissociated in calcium-free saline and plated on poly-D-lysine (Sigma) coated tissue culture dishes at the density of 5 x 104 cell/ml. The neurons were grown in neurobasal medium (Invitrogen) plus 10% fetal bovine serum with 25 µM penicillin-streptomycin. 1 h after plating, the medium with serum was replaced with medium containing the B-27 supplement (Invitrogen).
Treatment with LRP LigandsPrimary neuronal cultures were treated with 500 nM
Neurite Outgrowth AnalysisNeurite outgrowth was assessed by checking the cell morphology using an MRC 1024 confocal microscope system. Microscopic images from random fields were captured and digitized by Bio-Rad software. Western Blot AnalysesFor analysis of active MAP kinase and CREB, cell lysates were prepared from the primary cortical neuronal cultures. The neuronal cultures were lysed in 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, containing 0.5 M NaCl, 4 µM leupeptin, 2 µM pepstatin, 1.5 µM aprotinin, 400 µM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and 0.5% Triton X-100. The total cell lysates were centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 30 s, and the supernatant was analyzed by the immunoblot. Proteins were denatured, reduced, and separated by 412% Tris-glycine SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Novex, San Diego, CA). Proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose at 380 mA for 60 min, and the blotted membrane was blocked with 5% milk in Tris-buffered saline containing 0.05% Tween 20 for 30 min at room temperature. The blots were incubated with polyclonal antibodies against phospho-MAP kinase (Promega, Madison, WI) or phospho-CREB-1 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA) in phosphate-buffered saline with Tween 20 containing 5% milk overnight at 4 °C. The phospho-MAP kinase detects the active form of MAP kinase dually phosphorylated at Thr183 and Tyr185. The phospho-CREB antibody recognizes the active form of CREB phosphorylated at Ser133. From the same blots, actin (AC-40, Sigma) was detected by specific monoclonal antibody to ensure that equal protein was present in each lane. Immunoreactivity was detected using horseradish peroxidase-linked anti-rabbit IgG developed with a chemiluminescent reagent and exposed to film. Analyses with a Bio-Rad GS-700 imaging densitometer were recorded as the percentages of the sister cultures.
Intracellular Calcium MeasurementIntracellular calcium was determined for individual cells using standard microscopic Fluo-3 digital imaging (15). Cortical neurons were loaded with 1 µM Fluo-3/AM, and live video imagines of selected microscopic fields were recorded with a photomultiplier (Hamamatsu Photonics, Hamamatsu City, Japan) and digitized by computer with a Bio-Rad imaging time course software (Imaging Research Inc.). The somata of Transfection of Neurons with LRPPrimary mouse cortical neurons were cultured in neurobasal medium with B-27 supplement. Transient transfection of the cells was performed using a calcium phosphate method (21). Cells were plated into 4-well chambers 1 day before the transfection with an expression vector of LRP fused to EGFP, which was generated from ligating human LRP cDNA digested with restriction enzymes of XhoI and Bsu36I and synthetic oligomers of 5'-TGAGGACGAGATAGGGGACCCCTTGGCAA-3' and 5'-AGCTTTGCCAAGGGGTCCCCTATCTCGTCC-3' containing the last part of LRP without a stop codon and HindIII site. These then were inserted into the XhoI and HindIII sites of expression vector pEGFP-N1 (Clontech). A mixture of 8 µg of plasmid DNA, 9 µl of 2.5 M CaCl2, and 100 µl of water were made in 100 µl of HEPES buffered saline and left for 1530 min at room temperature. 25 µl of this mixture then was added to the cells cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium in each well. Cells were washed with Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium after 20 min and maintained in the conditioned medium collected before transfection. LRP-EGFP expression in primary neurons was not detectable until 18 h after transfection. It was measured 48 h after transfection by confocal microscopy. Microscopic images of LRP-EGFP from random fields were captured and digitized by Bio-Rad software. Control cells transfected with vector alone demonstrated no fluorescence.
ChemicalsRecombinant human Data AnalysisFor calcium studies, each protocol consisted of two or three culture sets of cortical neurons in which 515 neuronal somata in each field were measured. For immunohistochemical, calcium, and biochemical studies, the data from several cultures were pooled for statistical analyses. Values are expressed as the mean ± S.E. Statistical significance was determined by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Fisher post-hoc test for multiple comparisons. p < 0.05 was considered indicative of a statistically significant difference.
Effects of 2M* on Neurite Outgrowth and LRP Distribution in Cultured Cortical NeuronsCortical neurons obtained from 16-day-old embryonic mice show distinctive developmental changes during the culture period, thus providing an accessible developmental model for analyzing neurite outgrowth. Neurons were treated with 500 nM 2M* for 4872 h, and total neurite length and numbers were assessed. Fig. 1A shows the micrographs of 2M*-induced morphological changes. Microtubules in the primary neuronal cultures were detected by antibody MAP2 (in red). The expression of LRP in the primary neuronal cultures was detected by antibody R829 (in green). The individual length and numbers of neurites were substantially increased in 2M*-treated neurons. In addition, the expression of LRP was also increased and diffusely distributed on the neurites. The averaged data in Fig. 1B illustrate that the treatment of primary neuronal cultures with 2M* significantly increased neurite length (by 72%) and neurite numbers (by 139%). To test whether the increase in neurite outgrowth was because of 2M* binding to LRP, we co-incubated cultures with RAP, which blocks the interactions between LRP and its ligands. The 2M*-induced increase in neurite outgrowth was eliminated by co-incubation with RAP in primary neuronal culture (Fig. 1, A and B). In addition, the expression of LRP was restricted to the soma of neurons by RAP treatment. These data suggest that 2M* exerts its effect via binding to LRP, because 2M*-induced effects on neurite outgrowth could be eliminated by RAP.
We hypothesized that LRP ligands might alter the turnover of LRP, contributing to their effects on neurite outgrowth. To investigate whether the distribution of LRP correlated with neurite outgrowth, we transfected primary cortical neurons with full-length LRP tagged with GFP and exposed neurons to LRP ligands for 48 h (Fig. 2). LRP expression in transfected primary neurons was substantially increased by 2M* and apoE3, which also promoted neurite outgrowth. Similar effects were obtained from a tandem apoE peptide (100 nM) containing only the receptor-binding region. Both purified apoE (24, 25) and this tandem apoE peptide (23) interact with LRP. RAP treatment alone dramatically altered LRP expression, redistributing LRP from the neurites to the soma. This redistribution of LRP may contribute to the inhibitory effects of RAP in our sets of experiments.
Time-dependent Effects of 2M* on the Levels of Phospho-MAP KinaseTo examine the role of MAP kinase in neurite outgrowth in response to 2M* stimulus, phospho-MAP kinase (Thr183/Tyr185) was measured in primary cortical neurons treated with 2M* with an antibody against this active form of MAP kinase. In both control- and 2M*-treated neurons, phospho-MAP kinase (p42/44) was detectable at all time points in cell lysates. 2M* increased the phospho-MAP kinase levels at 30 min, and this increase disappeared by 48 h (Fig. 3A). To test whether the LRP-mediated pathway was involved in the effects of 2M* on the levels of phospho-MAP kinase, we co-incubated cultures with RAP (500 nM) to block the interactions between LRP and 2M*. Surprisingly, RAP alone also increased the levels of phospho-MAP kinase at 5, 15, and 30 min and 48 h (Fig. 3B). However, there was no change in the phospho-MAP kinase level when the neurons were co-cultured with 2M* and RAP. These results suggest that the effect of 2M* on phospho-MAP kinase is a time-dependent process. To address whether these effects were because of binding to LRP or another member of the LDL receptor family, we treated cells with an antibody raised against holo-LRP. This antibody, but not the one directed against the LRP intracellular domain, increased the levels of phospho-MAP kinase (Fig. 3C). Thus, the activation of LRP alone can increase the levels of phospho-MAP kinase. The effect of PD98059, an inhibitor of MAP kinase activation, was used to determine whether the enhancement in the levels of active MAP kinase was necessary for the 2M*-induced increase in neurite outgrowth. Fig. 4 shows the effects of PD98059 on the 2M*-induced increases in phospho-MAP kinase levels (panel A) and neurite outgrowth (Fig. 4, B and C). When the neurons were co-incubated with PD98059, 2M* did not induce a visible increase either in phospho-MAP kinase levels (Fig. 4A) or in neurite outgrowth (Fig. 4, B and C). These results indicate that the changes in neurite outgrowth produced by 2M* required activation of MAP kinase in primary cortical neurons.
Interaction of 2M*, Intracellular Calcium, and Phosphorylation of MAP KinaseWe have previously reported that 2M* altered calcium influx via the NMDA receptor (15), affecting both endogenous calcium oscillations and calcium influx after NMDA stimulation. Here we observed that calcium oscillations in the cortical cultures often were synchronized among several neurons in a microscopic field, suggesting that the network synaptic activity played a role in the generation of the oscillations. Bath application of tetrodotoxin, a treatment that blocks synaptic transmission in the neuronal cultures, blocked the intracellular Ca2+ oscillations (data not shown), consistent with a dependence of the oscillations on network synaptic activity. The synchronized calcium oscillations across neurons in a microscopic field depend on NMDA receptor activation (15) and on calcium release from intracellular calcium stores. 2M* dramatically reduced the amplitude of spontaneous intracellular calcium oscillations in cortical neurons (Fig. 5A). This alteration of synchronized calcium oscillations by 2M* remained when neurons were co-cultured with RAP (Fig. 5B).
Calcium transients encode information across a range of frequencies and direct neurite extension (2629). Growth cone calcium waves regulate the rate of axon extension, which is inversely proportional to their frequency (3033). We tested whether intracellular calcium alterations affected neurite outgrowth in our culture system. Cells were treated with BAPTA to chelate intracellular calcium or BayK to promote calcium influx through surface calcium channels. Reduction of intracellular calcium by BAPTA reduced neurite outgrowth, while increased intracellular calcium by BayK promoted outgrowth (Fig. 6). Treatment with 2M* showed the expected increase in neurite outgrowth, but this increase was significantly inhibited by co-incubation with BAPTA (Fig. 6).
We tested whether the effects of calcium levels on neurite outgrowth were mediated through the effects on activation of MAP kinase. The levels of phospho-MAP kinase were increased by BayK after 30 min of treatment but not after 48 h of treatment (Fig. 5C). There was no further alteration in the phospho-MAP kinase levels when cells were also treated with 2M*. In contrast, BAPTA substantially reduced the levels of active MAP kinase after 30 min and this reduction by BAPTA was partially blunted by 2M* pretreatment. However, after 48 h of BAPTA treatment, the levels of phospho-MAP kinase were substantially reduced, even in the combined treatment (Fig. 5C). Thus, the effects of BayK and BAPTA on neurite outgrowth correlate with their effects on phospho-MAP kinase at early (30 min) time points.
PKC is an upstream regulator of MAP kinase activation (34, 35), which is not only associated with intracellular calcium (3638) but also required for activation and nuclear translocation of active MAP kinase (39, 40). Fig. 5C shows the involvement of PKC in the short term effects of
To determine whether MAP kinase was required for CREB activation in response to 2M*, we treated cells with the MAP kinase inhibitor, PD98059, for 30 min or 48 h (Fig. 7B). PD98059 treatment blocked CREB phosphorylation (110 ± 10.31% control after 30 min treatment and 73 ± 12.41% control after 48 h treatment; p < 0.01 compared with 2M*-treated cells without PD98059) (Fig. 7B). These data indicate that the activation of CREB by 2M* is mediated by the activation of MAP kinase.
Similar experiments were performed to determine whether LRP activation could promote CREB phosphorylation. Co-incubation of cultures with RAP abolished the
One of the earliest indications that apoE receptors might have signaling functions in the central nervous system was that several ligands of LRP promoted neurite outgrowth (41, 42). In recent years, these signaling functions have been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo with apoE receptors altering neuronal calcium homeostasis (14, 15, 43), kinase activation (43, 44), and neuronal migration (45, 46). Our current study demonstrates that neurite outgrowth involves a signaling pathway that can be promoted through the activation of apoE receptors as supported by several experiments. First, 2M* treatment significantly increased the individual length and numbers of neurites in primary mouse cortical neurons in a RAP-blockable fashion. Second, the MAP kinase inhibitor, PD98059, diminished the 2M*-induced increase in the levels of phospho-MAP kinase and blocked the 2M*-induced neurite outgrowth. Third, the effects of 2M* on neurite outgrowth were inhibited by chelating intracellular calcium levels with BAPTA. Fourth, 2M* and an LRP-specific antibody stimulated the phosphorylation of CREB through interactions with LRP and activation of MAP kinase. Taken together, our data demonstrate that LRP mediates neurite outgrowth through the effects on intracellular calcium homeostasis and p44/42 MAP kinase activation, leading to the effects on CREB transcription regulation.
The role of the MAP kinase cascade in neurite outgrowth has been extensively studied in the neuronal cell lines such as PC12 cells. The MAP kinase cascade is required for growth factor-induced differentiation of naive PC12 cells (47, 48), although it is not sufficient for neurite outgrowth (47, 49). The activation of the MAP kinase cascade appears to be a permissive signal involved in making cells competent to extend neurites in response to a growth factor stimulus and calcium signaling (12, 50). The role of the MAP kinase cascade in neurite outgrowth in primary neurons was demonstrated using MAP kinase inhibitors in our study of
Calcium is a key second messenger within growth cones that can increase the rate of growth cone extension (53, 54), turn growth cones, and induce growth cone collapse (55). The differential effects of calcium on growth cone motility (e.g. growth and retraction) can be explained in part by the "set-point messenger" hypothesis (56). In this scheme, there is an optimal or set point level of calcium that promotes maximal growth. Increasing calcium levels toward the set point will increases motility, whereas increasing it above the set point decreases motility. Both spatial and temporal changes in calcium concentration are likely to play determining roles in growth cone behavior (57).
Activation of MAP kinase causes it to translocate to nuclei of neurons where it can then activate CREB (35, 58, 59). Thus, MAP kinase represents a point of convergence for cell surface signals regulating cell growth, division, differentiation, and protection (60). Two distinct mechanisms may mediate the early and late phases of CREB activation. The initial CREB activation may be dependent on calcium homeostasis and MAP kinase activation (Fig. 7, A and B), whereas the delayed CREB activation may be attributable to calcium signaling to NMDA, which is responsible for the dephosphorylation of CREB (61). CREB, a multipurpose transcription factor, is involved in the synaptic plasticity, cell division, proliferation, and protection of neurons from neurodegeneration (62, 63). Activation of CREB through LRP-Ca2+-MAP kinase signaling pathway in primary cortical neurons fits well with the numerous effects of
LRP ligands induced both neurite outgrowth and dendritic localization of LRP in primary neurons (Figs. 1 and 2). These effects were blocked by co-incubation with RAP, the inhibitor of the low density lipoprotein receptor family. RAP did not promote neurite outgrowth and decreased LRP expression in neuronal processes, causing a largely somatic distribution after RAP treatment. Our earlier work (13) shows that RAP treatment did not affect the overall levels of LRP in neurons (64). The redistribution of LRP by RAP could also play a role in the ability of RAP to prevent
Fig. 9 illustrates a model of
* This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants R01 AG14473 (to G. W. R.) and R37 AG12406 (to B. T. H.). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. ¶ To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 202-687-1534; Fax: 202-687-0617; E-mail: gwr2{at}georgetown.edu.
1 The abbreviations used are: LRP, low density lipoprotein receptorrelated protein;
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