Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Receptors Signal via Phospholipase C Pathway to Block Apoptosis in Newborn Rat Retina

Glutamate induced cell death mechanisms gained considerable attention lately as excessive release of extracellular glutamate was reported to cause neurodegeneration in brain areas including the retina. Conversely, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) was shown to provide neuroprotection through anti-apoptotic effects in the glutamate-model and also in other degeneration assays. Although PACAP is known to orchestrate complex intracellular signaling primarily through cAMP production, the mechanism that mediates the anti-apoptotic effect in glutamate excitotoxicity remains to be clarified. To study this mechanism we induced retinal neurodegeneration in newborn Wistar rats by subcutaneous monosodium-glutamate injection. 100 pmol PACAP and enzyme inhibitors were administered intravitreally. Levels of caspase 3, 9, and phospho-protein kinase A were assessed by Western blots. Changes in cAMP levels were detected employing a competitive immunoassay. We found that cAMP blockade by an adenylyl-cyclase inhibitor (2′,4′-dideoxy-adenosine) did not abrogate the neuroprotective effect of PACAP1-38. We show that following intravitreal PACAP1-38 treatment cAMP was unaltered, consistent with the inhibitor results and phospho-protein kinase A, an effector of the cAMP pathway was also unaffected. On the other hand, blockade of the alternative phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC pathway using an inhibitor (D609CAS) abrogated the neuroprotective effects of PACAP1-38. Our results highlight PACAP1-38 ability in protecting retinal cells against apoptosis through diverse signaling cascades. It seems that at picomolar concentrations, PACAP does not trigger cAMP production, but nonetheless, exerts a significant anti-apoptotic effect through PLC activation. In conclusion, PACAP1-38 may signal via both AC and PLC activation producing the same protective outcome.