Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Akt effectors mediate insulin-like growth factor-I neuroprotection in dorsal root ganglia neurons.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) protects neurons of the peripheral nervous system from apoptosis, but the underlying signaling pathways are not well understood. We studied IGF-I mediated signaling in embryonic dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. DRG neurons express IGF-I receptors (IGF-IR), and IGF-I activates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. High glucose exposure induces apoptosis, which is inhibited by IGF-I through the PI3K/Akt pathway. IGF-I stimulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway phosphorylates three known Akt effectors: the survival transcription factor cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) and the pro-apoptotic effector proteins glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) and forkhead (FKHR). IGF-I regulates survival at the nuclear level through accumulation of phospho-Akt in DRG neuronal nuclei, increased CREB-mediated transcription, and nuclear exclusion of FKHR. High glucose increases expression of the pro-apoptotic Bcl protein Bim (a transcriptional target of FKHR). However, IGF-I does not regulate Bim or anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL protein expression levels, which suggests that IGF-I neuroprotection is not through regulation of their expression. High glucose also induces loss of the initiator caspase-9 and increases caspase-3 cleavage, effects blocked by IGF-I. These data suggest that IGF-I prevents apoptosis in DRG neurons by regulating PI3K/Akt pathway effectors, including GSK-3beta, CREB, and FKHR, and by blocking caspase activation.