Increase of zinc finger protein 179 in response to CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta conferring an antiapoptotic effect in astrocytes of Alzheimer's disease

Mol Neurobiol. 2015 Feb;51(1):370-82. doi: 10.1007/s12035-014-8714-9. Epub 2014 May 1.

Abstract

Reactive astrogliosis is a cellular manifestation of neuroinflammation and occurs in response to all forms and severities of the central nervous system (CNS)'s injury and disease. Both astroglial proliferation and antiapoptotic processes are aspects of astrogliosis. However, the underlying mechanism of this response remains poorly understood. In addition, little is known about why activated astrocytes are more resistant to stress and inflammation. CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (CEBPD) is a transcription factor found in activated astrocytes that surround β-amyloid plaques. In this study, we found that astrocytes activation was attenuated in the cortex and hippocampus of APPswe/PS1 E9 (AppTg)/Cebpd (-/-)mice. Furthermore, an increase in apoptotic astrocytes was observed in AppTg/Cebpd (-/-)mice, suggesting that CEBPD plays a functional role in enhancing the antiapoptotic ability of astrocytes. We found that Zinc Finger Protein 179 (ZNF179) was a CEBPD-regulated gene that played an antiapoptotic, but not proliferative, role in astrocytes. The transcriptions of the proapoptotic genes, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) and BCL2-interacting killer (BIK), were suppressed by ZNF179 via its interaction with the promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF) protein in astrocytes. This study provides the first evidence that ZNF179, PLZF, IGFBP3, and BIK contributed to the novel CEBPD-induced antiapoptotic feature of astrocytes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism
  • Alzheimer Disease / complications
  • Alzheimer Disease / genetics
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
  • Apoptosis* / drug effects
  • Apoptosis* / genetics
  • Astrocytes / drug effects
  • Astrocytes / metabolism*
  • Astrocytes / pathology*
  • Base Sequence
  • CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-delta / deficiency
  • CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-delta / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / deficiency
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / genetics
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / metabolism
  • Interleukin-1beta / pharmacology
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Male
  • Methyl Methanesulfonate / pharmacology
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plaque, Amyloid / complications
  • Plaque, Amyloid / metabolism
  • Plaque, Amyloid / pathology
  • Promyelocytic Leukemia Zinc Finger Protein
  • Transcription, Genetic / drug effects

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
  • Bik protein, mouse
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3
  • Interleukin-1beta
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Promyelocytic Leukemia Zinc Finger Protein
  • ZNF179 protein, mouse
  • Zbtb16 protein, mouse
  • CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-delta
  • Methyl Methanesulfonate