Abstract
Taurine (2-aminoethanesulphonic acid) is an endogenous amino acid that has a number of protective roles in most mammalian cells, including modulation of cytoplasmic calcium levels, antioxidant effects and protection against mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress associated with neurological disorders. Thiotaurine (2-aminoethane thiosulfonate), a molecule structurally related to hypotaurine and taurine, counteracts the damaging effect of oxidants and prevents apoptosis of human neutrophils.
In this study we have compared the effect of taurine and thiotaurine in protecting cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) from apoptotic death. Two experimental paradigms were exploited to induce apoptosis: i) CGNs were continuously cultured in 5 mM K+-containing medium up to 6 days in the presence or absence of 1 mM either taurine or thiotaurine (chronic paradigm); ii) CGNs were cultured in 25 mM K+-containing medium for 6 days and then shifted to a 5 mM K+-containing medium in the presence or absence of 1 mM either taurine or thiotaurine (acute paradigm). In the first condition, CGNs survive up to 5 days, and then start to die; in the second condition, CGNs nicely differentiate elongating neurites but enter apoptosis within 30 min when shifted to the 5 mM K+-containing medium.
These assays showed that taurine and thiotaurine counteracted the apoptotic death induced by low potassium in both the acute and chronic paradigms. However, while they displayed a similar efficacy in the chronic paradigm, the thiotaurine showed a significantly higher (20 %) efficacy compared to taurine in the acute paradigm. This finding pinpoints the thiotaurine as a powerful anti-apoptotic molecule in neurons that are fully differentiated and have established synaptic connections.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Abbreviations
- Ara-C:
-
Cytosine-α-D arabinofuranoside
- CGNs:
-
Cerebellar granule neurons
- cyt-c:
-
Cytochrome complex
- DIV:
-
Days in vitro
- PI:
-
Propidium iodide
- TAU:
-
Taurine
- TTAU:
-
Thiotaurine
References
Acharya M, Lau-Cam CA (2013) Comparative evaluation of the effects of taurine and thiotaurine on alterations of the cellular redox status and activities of antioxidant and glutathione-related enzymes by acetaminophen in the rat. Adv Exp Med Biol 776:199–215
Alavez S, Pedroza D, Morán J (2003) Mechanisms of cell death by deprivation of depolarizing conditions during cerebellar granule neurons maturation. Neurochem Int 43:581–590
Atlante A, Bobba A, Calissano P, Passarella S, Marra E (2003) The apoptosis/necrosis transition in cerebellar granule cells depends on the mutual relationship of the antioxidant and the proteolytic systems which regulate ROS production and cytochrome c release en route to death. J Neurochem 84:960–971
Bulley S, Liu Y, Ripps H, Shen W (2013) Taurine activates delayed rectifier Kv channels via a metabotropic pathway in retinal neurons. J Physiol 591:123–132
Canterini S, Bosco A, De Matteis V, Mangia F, Fiorenza MT (2009) THG-1pit moves to nucleus at the onset of cerebellar granule neurons apoptosis. Mol Cell Neurosci 40:249–257
Canterini S, Bosco A, Carletti V, Fuso A, Curci A, Mangia F, Fiorenza MT (2012) Subcellular TSC22D4 localization in cerebellum granule neurons of the mouse depends on development and differentiation. Cerebellum 11:28–40
Capuozzo E, Pecci L, Baseggio Conrado A, Fontana M (2013) Thiotaurine prevents apoptosis of human neutrophils: a putative role in inflammation. Adv Exp Med Biol 775:227–236
de Luca A, Weller M, Fontana A (1996) TGF-beta-induced apoptosis of cerebellar granule neurons is prevented by depolarization. J Neurosci 16:4174–4185
El Idrissi A, Shen CH, L’amoreaux WJ (2013) Neuroprotective role of taurine during aging. Amino Acids 45:735–750
Gallo V, Kingsbury A, Balázs R, Jørgensen OS (1987) The role of depolarization in the survival and differentiation of cerebellar granule cells in culture. J Neurosci 17:2203–2213
Iyer S, Chaplin DJ, Rosenthal DS, Boulares AH, Li LY, Smulson ME (1998) Induction of apoptosis in proliferating human endothelial cells by the tumor-specific antiangiogenesis agent combretastatin A-41. Cancer Res 58:4510–4514
Kumari N, Prentice H, Wu JY (2013) Taurine and its neuroprotective role. Adv Exp Med Biol 775:19–27
Louzada PR, Paula Lima AC, Mendonca-Silva DL, Noël F, De Mello FG, Ferreira ST (2004) Taurine prevents the neurotoxicity of beta-amyloid and glutamate receptor agonists: activation of GABA receptors and possible implications for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. FASEB J 18:511–518
Meier P, Finch A, Evan G (2000) Apoptosis in development. Nature 407:796–801
Menzie J, Prentice H, Wu JY (2013) Neuroprotective mechanisms of taurine against ischemic stroke. Brain Sci 3:877–907
Mora A, Sabio G, González-Polo RA, Cuenda A, Alessi DR, Alonso JC, Fuentes JM, Soler G, Centeno F (2001) Lithium inhibits caspase 3 activation and dephosphorylation of PKB and GSK3 induced by K+ deprivation in cerebellar granule cells. J Neurochem 78:199–206
Moran J, Itoh T, Reddy UR, Chen M, Alnemri ES, Pleasure D (1999) Caspase-3 expression by cerebellar granule neurons is regulated by calcium and cyclic AMP. J Neurochem 73:568–577
Pruski AM, Fiala-Médioni A (2003) Stimulatory effect of sulphide on thiotaurine synthesis in three hydrothermal-vent species from the East Pacific Rise. J Exp Biol 206:2923–2930
Rinaldi L, Gobbi G, Pambianco M, Micheloni C, Mirandola P, Vitale M (2006) Hydrogen sulfide prevents apoptosis of human PMN via inhibition of p38 and caspase 3. Lab Invest 86:391–397
Taranukhin AG, Taranukhina EY, Saransaari P, Podkletnova IM, Pelto-Huikko M, Oja SS (2010) Neuroprotection by taurine in ethanol-induced apoptosis in the developing cerebellum. J Biomed Sci 24:17
Tricarico D, Barbieri M, Conte Camerino D (2001) Voltage-dependent antagonist/agonist actions of taurine on Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels of rat skeletal muscle fibers. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 298:1167–11671
Wu JY, Wu H, Jin Y, Wei J, Sha D, Prentice H, Lee HH, Lin CH, Lee YH, Yang LL (2009) Mechanism of neuroprotective function of taurine. Adv Exp Med Biol 643:169–179
Zanardo RCO, Brancaleone V, Distrutti E, Fiorucci S, Cirino G, Wallace JL (2006) Hydrogen sulfide is an endogenous modulator of leukocyte-mediated inflammation. FASEB J 20:2118–2120
Zhang Y, Tang ZH, Ren Z, Qu SL, Liu MH, Liu LS, Jiang ZS (2013) Hydrogen sulfide, the next potent preventive and therapeutic agent in aging and age-associated diseases. Mol Cell Biol 33:1104–1113
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grant “Progetti di ricerca di Ateneo” from “Sapienza” University of Rome, year 2012.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Dragotto, J., Capuozzo, E., Fontana, M., Curci, A., Fiorenza, M.T., Canterini, S. (2015). Thiotaurine Protects Mouse Cerebellar Granule Neurons from Potassium Deprivation-Induced Apoptosis by Inhibiting the Activation of Caspase-3. In: Marcinkiewicz, J., Schaffer, S. (eds) Taurine 9. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 803. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15126-7_41
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15126-7_41
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15125-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15126-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)