Abstract

The amino acid analogue 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) is formed in neural cells as a result of the intense stimulation of NMDA glutamate receptors. 3-NT is involved in the pathology of diverse neurodegenerative disorders. The aim of our work is to investigate the sensitivity of cultured neural and glial cells to 3-NT. We report the morphologicalchanges detected on mouse neuroblastoma (C1300) and rat glioma (C6) celllines cultured in a medium supplemented with different 3-NT concentrations. Western blot displayed a selective incorporation of 3-NT into a single protein that co-migrated with tubulin. Both celllines showed morphologicalchanges, nuclear suffering, decreased viability and growth inhibition (starting from 90 and 360 μM for C1300 and C6, respectively). Such effects were dose-dependent, though gliomacells showed severe alterations at higher 3-NT concentrations. Our results point out a higher 3-NT sensitivity in the neural cells studied in comparison with those of glial origin. The dramatic toxicity of 3-NT in neural cells suggests further investigations focused on the biochemical mechanisms at the roots of neurodegenerative diseases.

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