Degradation of neurofilament protein in cerebral ischemia.

Degradation of neurofilament (NF) triplet proteins: NF200 (molecular weight (MW) 200,000), NF150 (MW 150,000), and NF68 (MW 68,000) as well as of other cytoskeletal proteins in the rat brain during ischemia was investigated. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis and immunoblot methods with anti-NF200 antibody were used for the study. Selective degradation of NF200 and NF150 was observed during the initial 10 to 15 minutes of ischemia. The degradation was demonstrated both in permanent ischemia caused by decapitation and in transient ischemia induced by four-vessel occlusion followed by reperfusion after 30 minutes of occlusion (modified Pulsinelli method). The degradation suggests that the activation of a protease occurs in the first 15 minutes of cerebral ischemia, which is the earliest irreversible neuronal change ever to be reported.