14-3-3γ is upregulated by in vitro ischemia and binds to protein kinase Raf in primary cultures of astrocytes

The 14-3-3 protein family comprises critical regulatory molecules involved in signaling during cell division, proliferation, and apoptosis. Despite extensive study, the functions of the 14-3-3 proteins in brain remain unclear. 14-3-3γ, a subtype of the 14-3-3 family of proteins, was thought to be brain- and neuron-specific. Using RNA arbitrarily primed PCR, we identified an upregulated cDNA fragment of the 14-3-3γ gene in primary cultures of astrocytes. Using Northern blot analysis, we confirmed this fragment was brain-specific. In cultures of astrocytes, 14-3-3γ genes and proteins were differentially expressed at different ages and the proteins were distributed only in the cytoplasm. These results indicated that 14-3-3γ was not neuron-specific but also expressed in astrocytes. The function of this protein in brain is unclear. Northern and Western blot analyses demonstrated that 14-3-3γ mRNA and protein were upregulated in cultured astrocytes in an anaerobic chamber-induced ischemia model. The induction of 14-3-3γ proteins was neither suppressed by an MAP kinase inhibitor (U0126) nor a PI-3 kinase inhibitor (LY294002). These data indicated that induction of 14-3-3γ might not involve PI-3 and MAP kinase-dependent pathways. Using coimmunoprecipitation, we demonstrated that endogenous 14-3-3γ bound to c-Raf-1 and p-Raf 259. As Raf is one of the critical serine/threonine kinases controlling cell growth, differentiation, and death, the binding of 14-3-3γ to Raf indicates the critical role of this protein in ischemia-induced apoptosis and the changes in signal transduction in astrocytes in culture.