SOD1 down-regulates NF-κB and c-Myc expression in mice after transient focal cerebral ischemia

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in reperfusion injury after focal cerebral ischemia (FCI). Reactive oxygen species regulate activity of transcription factors like NF-κB. The authors investigated the role of ROS in NF-κB activity after FCI using transgenic mice that overexpressed human copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and that had reduced infarction volume after FCI. Superoxide dismutase transgenic and wild-type mice were subjected to 1 hour of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and subsequent reperfusion. Immunohistochemistry showed SOD1 overexpression attenuated ischemia-induced NF-κB p65 immunoreactivity. Colocalization of NF-κB and the neuronal marker, microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), showed that NF-κB was up-regulated in neurons after FCI. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that SOD1 overexpression reduced ischemia-induced NF-κB DNA binding activity. Supershift assays showed that DNA-protein complexes contained p65 and p50 subunits. Immunoreactivity of c-myc, an NF-κB downstream gene, was increased in the ischemic cortex and colocalized with NF-κB. Western blotting showed that SOD1 overexpression reduced NF-κB and c-Myc protein levels in the ischemic brain. Colocalization of c-Myc and TUNEL staining was observed 24 hours after FCI. The current findings provide the first evidence that SOD1 overexpression attenuates activation of NF-κB after transient FCI in mice and that preventing this early activation may block expression of downstream deleterious genes like c-myc, thereby reducing ischemic damage.