Upregulated Expression of NF-YC Contributes to Neuronal Apoptosis via Proapoptotic Protein Bim in Rats’ Brain Hippocampus Following Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO)

• DOI: 10.1007/s12031-013-0111-8
• Publication Date: 2013-09-07T05:45:12Z
• Authors: Yunfeng Wang; Chunhua Wan; Shanshan Yu; Lixiang Yang; Bing Li; Ting Lu; Yongfeng Bi; Junkang Jiang; Gang Cui
• Keywords: Male; Neurons; 0301 basic medicine; Bcl-2-Like Protein 11; Caspase 3; Membrane Proteins; Apoptosis; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; Rats; Up-Regulation; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Disease Models, Animal; 03 medical and health sciences; CCAAT-Binding Factor; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Animals; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; CA1 Region, Hippocampal

Cerebral ischemia represents a severe brain injury that could lead to significant neuronal damage and death. In this study, we performed a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in adult rats and observed that a subunit of nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) transcriptional factor, NF-YC, was accumulated in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons. Immunochemistrical and immunofluorescent analysis revealed that NF-YC was primarily expressed in the nucleus of neurons. Meanwhile, we found that the changes of bim, one of the target genes of NF-Y, were consistent with the expression of NF-YC and Bim was mainly located in the NF-YC positive cells. Moreover, there was a concomitant upregulation of active caspase-3 and TUNEL positive cells. Taken together, these results suggested that the upregulation of NF-YC might play an important role in the pathophysiology via proapoptotic protein Bim after MCAO and further research is needed to have a better understanding of its function and mechanism.