Brefeldin A-induced apoptosis is expressed in rat neurons with dephosphorylated tau protein

Brefeldin A (BFA) is a fungus metabolite (penicillum brefeldanum) that is known to produce the disintegration of the Golgi apparatus in exposed cells, and apoptosis in various cancer cells. This study reports that in rat primary cortical cell cultures BFA also produces apoptosis assessed by the TUNEL method and DAPI (4',6-diemidino-2-phenylindole) staining. The percentages of apoptotic neurons range from 26.9% +/- 8.3 to 43.2 +/- 2.5% in cultures exposed from 4 to 8 h to BFA (10 microg/ml). A double fluorescent staining, using AT8 antibody (phosphorylated tau) or tau1 antibody (dephosphorylated tau) associated with DAPI labeling reveals that tau1 positive neurons are more sensitive to BFA-induced apoptosis compared to AT8 positive neurons. This result and previous results using other apoptosis inducers suggest that tau phosphorylation in the vicinity of the AT8-tau1 epitopes is a marker of resistance or sensitivity to neuronal apoptosis in rat cortical cell cultures.