화학공학소재연구정보센터
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol.362, No.3, 587-593, 2007
Neuroprotective function of thymosin-beta and its derivative peptides on the programmed cell death of chick and rat neurons
Thymosin-beta s (T beta s) are small polypeptides with various biological functions, including cytoskeletal remodeling, angiogenesis, cellular migration, wound healing, and regulation of apoptosis. Recently, we found that T beta is involved in the control of programmed cell death (PCD) of motoneurons (MNs) in chick embryo, and that the anti-apoptotic action of T beta is independent of its actin-sequestering activity. In this study, we observed that a synthetic peptide derived from T beta suppressed staurosporine-induced neuronal apoptosis in vitro, and PCD of chick or rat MNs in vivo. Furthermore, inhibition of T beta 4 in chick embryo by antibody significantly augmented the PCD of MNs, suggesting that secreted form of T beta is physiological regulator of PCD. Based on these findings, we propose that extracellularly secreted T beta is involved in the control of PCD of neurons during development, and T beta-derived peptides could be useful for the anti-apoptotic therapy of neuropathologies related to neuronal apoptosis. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.