Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) has been conserved remarkably during evolution and is widely expressed in the mammalian brain. In Drosophila, mutation of the PACAP homologue results in behavioral defects, including impaired olfaction-associated learning and changes in ethanol sensitivity. Here, we report the generation of mice lacking the PACAP gene (PACAP ؊/؊ ). PACAP ؊/؊ mice were born in the expected Mendelian ratios but had a high early-mortality rate. The surviving adult PACAP ؊/؊ mice displayed remarkable behavioral changes; they exhibited hyperactive and explosive jumping behaviors in an open field, increased exploratory behavior, and less anxiety in the elevated plus maze, emergence, and novel-object tests. Analysis of PACAP ؊/؊ mice brains revealed that the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was slightly decreased in the cortex and striatum compared with wild-type mice. The present study provides evidence that PACAP plays a previously uncharacterized role in the regulation of psychomotor behaviors. P ituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a member of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)͞ secretin͞glucagon family of peptides and exists in two amidated forms, PACAP38 and PACAP27, that share an identical 27-aa N terminus and are alternatively processed from a 176-aa precursor called preproPACAP (1, 2). The primary structure of PACAP38 has been conserved significantly during evolution from protochordates to mammals, suggesting that the peptide exerts important activities throughout the vertebrate phylum (1, 2). In Drosophila, recent molecular cloning and transgenic rescue experiments in the memory-mutant amnesiac, which has behavioral defects that include impaired olfaction-associated learning and changes in ethanol sensitivity, demonstrated that the amnesiac gene encodes a neuropeptide homologous to vertebrate PACAP (3, 4). In addition, mammalian PACAP activated both the cAMP and Ras͞Raf signal-transduction pathways in Drosophila neurons, suggesting a neuromodulatory role of amnesiac (Drosophila PACAP) in specific neuronal populations (5). In mammals, PACAP occurs in neuronal elements, where it acts as a pleiotropic neuropeptide via three heptahelical G protein-linked receptors-one PACAP-specific (PAC 1 ) receptor and two receptors that it shares with VIP (VPAC 1 and VPAC 2 ). PACAP stimulates several different signaling cascades in neurons, leading to the activation of adenylate cyclase, phospholipase C, and mitogen-activated protein kinase and the mobilization of calcium (1, 2, 6). Histochemical studies have shown that PACAP immunoreactivity is observed in several brain regions, including the dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems, with high concentrations found in the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, amygdala, substantia nigra, and dorsal raphe (7-9). PAC 1 receptor also is expressed throughout the target areas of both the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal DA systems as well as 5-HT system (10). In addition, VPAC 1 and VPAC 2 recepto...

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) has been reported to decrease ischemic neuronal damage and increase IL-6 secretion in rats. However, the mechanisms underlying neuroprotection are still to be fully elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the role played by PACAP and IL-6 in mediating neuroprotection after ischemia in a null mouse. Infarct volume, neurological deficits, and cytochrome c in cytoplasm were higher in PACAP ؉/؊ and PACAP ؊/؊ mice than in PACAP ؉/؉ animals after focal ischemia, although the severity of response was ameliorated by the injection of PACAP38. A decrease in mitochondrial bcl-2 was also accentuated in PACAP ؉/؊ and PACAP ؊/؊ mice, but the decrease could be prevented by PACAP38 injection. PACAP receptor 1 (PAC1R) immunoreactivity was colocalized with IL-6 immunoreactivity in neurons, although the intensity of IL-6 immunoreactivity in PACAP ؉/؊ mice was less than that in PACAP ؉/؉ animals. IL-6 levels increased in response to PACAP38 injection, an effect that was canceled by cotreatment with the PAC1R antagonist. However, unlike in wild-type controls, PACAP38 treatment did not reduce the infarction in IL-6 null mice. To clarify the signaling pathway associated with the activity of PACAP and IL-6, phosphorylated STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) 3, ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), and AKT levels were examined in PACAP ؉/؊ and IL-6 null mice after ischemia. Lower levels of pSTAT3 and pERK were observed in the PACAP ؉/؊ mice, whereas a reduction in pSTAT3 was recorded in the IL-6 null mice. These results suggest that PACAP prevents neuronal cell death after ischemia via a signaling mechanism involving IL-6.bcl-2 ͉ extracellular signal-regulated kinase ͉ ischemia ͉ pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide-specific receptor ͉ signal transducer and activator of transcription 3

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SummaryThe mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS) and Optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) control cristae shape, thus affecting mitochondrial function and apoptosis. Whether and how they physically and functionally interact is unclear. Here, we provide evidence that OPA1 is epistatic to MICOS in the regulation of cristae shape. Proteomic analysis identifies multiple MICOS components in native OPA1-containing high molecular weight complexes disrupted during cristae remodeling. MIC60, a core MICOS protein, physically interacts with OPA1, and together, they control cristae junction number and stability, OPA1 being epistatic to MIC60. OPA1 defines cristae width and junction diameter independently of MIC60. Our combination of proteomics, biochemistry, genetics, and electron tomography provides a unifying model for mammalian cristae biogenesis by OPA1 and MICOS.