Activation of the heat shock response in a primary cellular model of motoneuron neurodegeneration-evidence for neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects

Pharmacological up-regulation of heat shock proteins (hsps) rescues motoneurons from cell death in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, the relationship between increased hsp expression and neuronal survival is not straightforward. Here we examined the effects of two pharmacological agents that induce the heat shock response via activation of HSF-1, on stressed primary motoneurons in culture. Although both arimoclomol and celastrol induced the expression of Hsp70, their effects on primary motoneurons in culture were significantly different. Whereas arimoclomol had survival-promoting effects, rescuing motoneurons from staurosporin and H2O2 induced apoptosis, celastrol not only failed to protect stressed motoneurons from apoptosis under same experimental conditions, but was neurotoxic and induced neuronal death. Immunostaining of celastrol-treated cultures for hsp70 and activated caspase-3 revealed that celastrol treatment activates both the heat shock response and the apoptotic cell death cascade. These results indicate that not all agents that activate the heat shock response will necessarily be neuroprotective.