Pro-Nerve Growth Factor Induces Activation of RhoA Kinase and Neuronal Cell Death

We have previously shown that the expression of pro-nerve growth factor (proNGF) was significantly increased, nerve growth factor (NGF) level was decreased, and the expression of p75(NTR) was enhanced in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) hippocampal samples. NGF regulates cell survival and differentiation by binding TrkA and p75(NTR) receptors. ProNGF is the precursor form of NGF, binds to p75(NTR), and induces cell apoptosis. The objective of this study is to determine whether the increased p75(NTR) expression in AD is due to the accumulation of proNGF and Rho kinase activation. PC12 cells were stimulated with either proNGF or NGF. Pull-down assay was carried out to determine the RhoA kinase activity. We found the expression of p75(NTR) was enhanced by proNGF compared to NGF. The proNGF stimulation also increased the RhoA kinase activity leading to apoptosis. The expression of active RhoA kinase was found to be increased in human AD hippocampus compared to control. The addition of RhoA kinase inhibitor Y27632 not only blocked the RhoA kinase activity but also reduced the expression of p75(NTR) receptor and inhibited the activation of JNK and MAPK induced by proNGF. This suggests that overexpression of proNGF in AD enhances p75(NTR) expression and activation of RhoA, leading to neuronal cell death.