XIAP Regulates Caspase Activity in Degenerating Axons

UNSAIN N; HIGGINS JM; PARKER KN; JOHNSTONE AD; BARKER PA

Cell Reports

Cell Press

Lugar: Cambridge, MA; Año: 2013 vol. 4 p. 751 - 763

2211-1247

Our knowledge of the destructive events that regulate axonal degeneration is rudimentary. Here, we examine the role of caspases and their endogenous inhibitor, the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), in axonal degeneration of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) axons. We show that caspase-3, caspase-6, and caspase-9 are present in axons and are cleaved upon nerve growth factor (NGF) withdrawal. We observed that caspase-3 activity is high in NGF-withdrawn axons and that CASP3−/− axons are protected from degeneration. XIAP−/− DRG sensory neurons degenerate more rapidly and contain more active caspase-3 than their wild-type counterparts, indicating that axonal caspases are normally regulated by XIAP. Importantly, axonal XIAP levels drop sharply after NGF withdrawal; if XIAP levels are maintained by overexpression, axonal caspase-3 activation and axonal degeneration are suppressed. Finally, we show that XIAP−/− embryos have stunted dermal innervation. We propose that XIAP-mediated caspase inhibition plays an important role in regulating morphogenic events that shape the nervous system during development.