期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：1994
卷号：91
期号：8
页码：3309-3313
DOI：10.1073/pnas.91.8.3309
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：In vitro, the overexpression of the bcl-2 protooncogene in cultured neurons has been shown to prevent apoptosis induced by neurotrophic factor deprivation. We have generated transgenic mice overexpressing the Bcl-2 protein in neurons, including motoneurons of the facial nucleus. We have tested whether Bcl-2 could protect these motoneurons from experimentally induced cell death in new born mice. To address this question, we performed unilateral lesion of the facial nerve of wild-type and transgenic 2-day-old mice. In wild-type mice, the lesioned nerve and the corresponding motoneuron cell bodies in the facial nucleus underwent rapid degeneration. In contrast, in transgenic mice, facial motoneurons survived axotomy. Not only their cell bodies but also their axons were protected up to the lesion site. These results demonstrate that in vivo Bcl-2 protects neonatal motoneurons from degeneration after axonal injury. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which Bcl-2 prevents neuronal cell death in vivo could lead to the development of strategies for the treatment of motoneuron degenerative diseases.
