Thioredoxin-2 Modulates Neuronal Programmed Cell Death in the Embryonic Chick Spinal Cord in Basal and Target-Deprived Conditions

PLoS One. 2015 Nov 5;10(11):e0142280. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142280. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Thioredoxin-2 (Trx2) is a mitochondrial protein using a dithiol active site to reduce protein disulfides. In addition to the cytoprotective function of this enzyme, several studies have highlighted the implication of Trx2 in cellular signaling events. In particular, growing evidence points to such roles of redox enzymes in developmental processes taking place in the central nervous system. Here, we investigate the potential implication of Trx2 in embryonic development of chick spinal cord. To this end, we first studied the distribution of the enzyme in this tissue and report strong expression of Trx2 in chick embryo post-mitotic neurons at E4.5 and in motor neurons at E6.5. Using in ovo electroporation, we go on to highlight a cytoprotective effect of Trx2 on the programmed cell death (PCD) of neurons during spinal cord development and in a novel cultured spinal cord explant model. These findings suggest an implication of Trx2 in the modulation of developmental PCD of neurons during embryonic development of the spinal cord, possibly through redox regulation mechanisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / physiology
  • Cell Death / physiology*
  • Cell Differentiation / physiology
  • Chick Embryo
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / genetics
  • Motor Neurons / metabolism*
  • Motor Neurons / physiology*
  • Spinal Cord / metabolism*
  • Spinal Cord / physiology*
  • Thioredoxins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Thioredoxins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Communauté française de Belgique- Actions de Recherche Concertées (ARC)’’ #10/15-026 of the ‘‘Direction générale de l’Enseignement non obligatoire et de la Recherche scientifique – Direction de la Recherche scientifique – Communauté française de Belgique’’ and granted by the ‘‘Académie universitaire ‘Louvain’’’ and the DIANE research program of the Walloon region, Grant number : 816844. Marc Pirson is holder of a FRIA fellowship (FRS-FNRS, Belgium). F.C. is a Research Associate of the F.R.S.-FNRS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.