Differential effects of ischemia and reperfusion on c-Jun N-terminal kinase isoform protein and activity

Activation of the c-Jun N-terminal (JNK) or stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK) is associated with a wide range of disparate cellular responses to extracellular stimuli, including either induction of or protection from apoptosis. This study investigates the effect of ischemia and reperfusion on JNK isoform activities using a reversible rabbit spinal cord ischemia model. High basal JNK activity, attributed to the p46 JNK1 isoform, was expressed in the CNS of untreated rabbits. JNK activity decreased in the lumbar spinal cord of rabbits occluded for 15-60 min. During reperfusion animals occluded for 15 min recovered neurological function and JNK activity returned to normal levels. In contrast animals occluded for 60 min remained permanently paraplegic and JNK activity was half the control activity after 18 h of reperfusion. In these animals proteolytic fragments of JNK1 and JNK3 were observed and protein levels, but not activity, of JNK isoforms increased in a detergent-insoluble fraction. Two novel c-Jun (and ATF-2) kinase activities increased during reperfusion of animals occluded for 60 min. An activity designated p46(slow) was similar in M(r) to a JNK2 isoform induced in these animals. A second 30-kDa activity associated with the detergent-insoluble fraction co-migrated with a JNK3 N-terminal fragment. The results show that JNK1 is active in the normal CNS and increased activity is not associated with durations of ischemia and reperfusion that induce cell death. However, specific JNK isoform activation may participate in the cell death pathways as increased activity of novel c-Jun (ATF-2) kinase activities was observed in paraplegic animals.