EN
Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) demonstrates selective affi nity to arachidonic acid (AA) liberation, which is known to be elevated in PD. We indicated that NO/GC/cGMP pathway was upregulated in the primary astrocyte culture treated with MPP+. We investigated if the cGMP/cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) signaling pathway was involved in 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced cPLA2 activation of the primary astrocyte culture. We found increased levels of total and phosphorylated cPLA2 and increased AA release in the primary astrocyte culture exposed to MPP+. We used cPLA2-specifi c inhibitors and Ca2+- independent PLA2 (iPLA2), and we found that cPLA2 released more AA after stimulation with MPP+ than iPLA2 and that there was a time-dependent delay of AA release by iPLA2 compared to cPLA2. The PKG inhibitor KT5823 decreased MPP-induced AA release in the primary astrocyte culture. KT5823, in addition to PKC and ERK1/2 inhibitors, decreased cPLA2 activity as well as total and phosphorylated cPLA2 protein levels in the astrocyte treated with MPP+. Dual treatment with PKG and PKC or ERK1/2 inhibitors had the same effect on cPLA2 activity and protein levels. PKG is involved in the enhancement of cPLA2 phosphorylation at Serine-505 and in AA release in the astrocyte exposed to MPP+. Our results indicate that the nNOS/cGMP/ PKG pathway stimulates cPLA2 phosphorylation at Ser-505 by activation of PKC or ERK1/2. These results suggest that activation of cPLA2 by upregulation nNOS/cGMP pathway may play important role in MPP+-induced astrocyte activation, neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in the nigrostriatal system.