Rapid attenuation of AP-1 transcriptional factors associated with nitric oxide (NO)-mediated neuronal cell death

Stimulation of glutamate receptors causes several intracellular reactions including activation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) production and nitric oxide (NO) generation. Exposing mouse cerebellar granule cells to N-methyl-D-aspartate or kainate (KA) in culture induced an increase of AP-1 DNA binding activity that was blocked by further addition of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a typical NO donor. Immunoblotting using anti-c-Fos antiserum revealed the specific attenuation of AP-1, although total protein synthesis was not affected. Since the level of c-fos mRNA expression stimulated by KA remained constant even after exposure to SNP, the AP-1 attenuation can be post-transcriptionally induced. SNP did not affect the Ca2+ influx into the cells stimulated by KA. The involvement of NO in the AP-1 attenuation was supported by the fact that potassium ferrocyanide (K4Fe(CN)6), an analogue of SNP but devoid of NO, failed to inhibit the AP-1 DNA binding activity stimulated by KA. SNP alone induced neuronal cell death, which was blocked by the simultaneous addition of antioxidants, superoxide dismutase and catalase, and an NO scavenger, suggesting a direct role of peroxynitrite in the cell death. In good agreement with these effects, the AP-1 attenuation by SNP was also blocked by antioxidants. These results indicated that post-transcriptional attenuation of AP-1 is involved in the early processes of NO-mediated neuronal cell death.