Journal of Applied Animal Research
  • Year: 2007
  • Volume: 32
  • Issue: 1

Cysteine-Mediated Excitotoxic Neuronal Death is an Apoptosis - Necrosis Continuum

  • Author:
  • Safaa Y. Qusti1, Richard B. Parsons2, Rosemary H. Waring1, David B. Ramsden2
  • Total Page Count: 6
  • Page Number: 7 to 12

1School of Biological Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK

2Department of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, University of Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK

* For correspondence: Safaa Qusti-Biochemistry Dep., King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21551–42805, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: safaaqusti@yahoo.com

Abstract

To explore the mechanism whereby cysteine induces cell death this study was undertaken using a human medulloblastoma cell-line as the model system. Low levels of cysteine induced several well described phenomena associated with apoptosis, phospatidyl serine exposure, mitochondrial membrane disruption, cleavage of DNA into 50 Kb fragments and induction of caspase 3, whereas higher concentrations tended to cause necrosis. We have speculated on the role of cysteine in excitotoxicity, which occurs clinically following cerebral ischemia.

Keywords

Cysteine, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, necrosis, neurone, phosphatidylserine, mitochondria, caspase-3