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Hoffmann, R. A wiki for the life sciences where authorship matters. Nature Genetics (2008)
 
 
 
 
 

Cathepsin B-like proteolysis and MARCKS degradation in sub-lethal NMDA-induced collapse of dendritic spines.

Sub-lethal excitotoxic injury to dendrites can elicit loss or shrinkage of dendritic spines. Here, we used a cell culture model of sub-lethal NMDA-induced injury to investigate a role for proteolysis in spine collapse. Transient incubation with NMDA-induced spine collapse and spine F-actin loss within 10 min, an effect not mimicked by the actin assembly inhibitor latrunculin A. NMDA-induced spine collapse was significantly attenuated by preincubation with broad-spectrum cysteine protease inhibitors. Results obtained using several class-specific protease inhibitors suggested that this protective effect was due to specific blockade of cathepsin B/L type protease activity, since selective inhibitors of only these proteases significantly attenuated spine loss. Cathepsin B-like immunoreactivity was observed at synaptic sites, but lysosomes were not. Immunoblot analysis showed that MARCKS (myristoylated-alanine-rich C-kinase substrate), a known substrate of cathepsin B, was specifically degraded in response to intense NMDA receptor stimulation. This effect was blocked by preincubation with a cathepsin B-selective inhibitor. Together these data suggest a model in which NMDA-induced spine collapse involves cathepsin B-like proteolysis of MARCKS, and possibly other proteins that regulate the actin-based cytoskeleton.[1]

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