Rotenone induces disassembly of the Golgi apparatus in the rat dopaminergic neuroblastoma B65 cell line.

It has been reported that the Golgi apparatus (GA) is fragmented in some neurodegenerative diseases. However, the significance of the GA fragmentation or disassembly in neurodegeneration is still obscure. To clarify the involvement of this organelle in apoptosis of neuronal cells, we examined the morphological changes in the GA induced by rotenone, a pesticide that produces selective dopaminergic neurodegeneration. In dopaminergic neuroblastoma B65 cells, a 5-day rotenone treatment (50 nM) promoted cell damage. Rotenone-treated cells showed round nuclei, diffuse signals of the GA and cytosolic redistribution of cytochrome c. Nevertheless, these type of cells without nuclear fragmentation did not show any caspase-3 expression. These results indicate that rotenone induces disassembly of the GA in the early stages of the apoptotic process.