ATF-2 phosphorylation in apoptotic neuronal death

Activating transcription factor (ATF-2) is a basic region-leucine zipper tr anscription factor that can mediate a diverse range of transcriptional resp onses including those generated by various forms of cellular stress. Activa tion of ATF-2 in response to these stimuli requires post-translational modi fication, in particular the phosphorylation of Thr69 and Thr71. Tp investig ate whether ATF-1 activation also has a role in neuronal apoptosis, immunoc ytochemistry using a phospho-specific ATF-2 (Thr71) antibody was tarried ou t in the 21 day old rat brain following a unilateral hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insult and PC12 cells cultured in the presence of okadaic acid. In both mod els a dramatic increase in phosphorylated ATF-2 was found within cells unde rgoing apoptosis. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.