| | The omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, decreases neuronal cell death in association with altered zinc transportEdited by Jesus Avila Received 26 October 2009; received in revised form 4 December 2009; accepted 9 December 2009. published online 14 December 2009. Abstract Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the major polyunsaturated fatty acid in neuronal cell membranes. We hypothesize that DHA induces a decrease in neuronal cell death through reduced ZnT3 expression and zinc uptake. Exposure of M17 cells to DHA-deficient medium increased the levels of active caspase-3, relative to levels in DHA-replete cells, confirming the adverse effects of DHA deficiency in promoting neuronal cell death. In DHA-treated M17 cells, zinc uptake was 65% less and ZnT3 mRNA and protein levels were reduced in comparison with DHA-depleted cells. We propose that the neuroprotective function of DHA is exerted through a reduction in cellular zinc levels that in turn inhibits apoptosis. a School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia b School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia c School of Medicine, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia  Corresponding author. Address: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia. Fax: +61 3 9251 7328.
PII: S0014-5793(09)01059-X doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2009.12.013 © 2009 Federation of European Biochemical Societies | |
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ABSTRACT
