A cellular stress model for the sequestration of redox-active glial iron in the aging and degenerating nervous system

The mechanisms responsible for the accumulation of redox-active brain iron in normal senescence and in Parkinson's disease remain poorly understood. The aminothiol compound cysteamine (CSH) induces the appearance of autofluorescent, iron-rich cytoplasmic granules in cultured astroglia that are identical to glial inclusions that progressively accumulate in the aging periventricular brain. Both in situ and in culture, these glial inclusions appear to arise in the context of a generalized cellular stress (heat shock) response. Several laboratories have previously concluded that porphyrins and heme ferrous iron are responsible, respectively, for redorange autofluorescence and nonenzymatic peroxidase activity in the glial inclusions. In the present study we found that, contrary to hypothesis, CSH suppresses the incorporation of the heme precursors delta-amino[14C]-levulinic acid and [14C]glycine into astroglial porphyrin and heme in primary culture. Similar results were obtained when the cells were preloaded with radiolabeled heme precursors for 24 h before CSH treatment, suggesting that the latter directly inhibits porphyrin-heme biosynthesis rather than limiting precursor uptake by these cells. We also demonstrated that CSH exposure results in the sequestration of iron-59 by astroglial mitochondria (granule precursors). The results of this study suggest that stress-related trapping of nonheme iron by astroglial mitochondria may be an important mechanism underlying the pathological accumulation of redox-active iron in the basal ganglia of subjects with Parkinson's disease. CSH-treated astrocytes provide a useful model to investigate the role of stress-related dysregulation of neuroglial iron metabolism in the aging and degenerating nervous system.