THE EFFECT OF A FIVE-DAY EXPOSURE TO ICRSIN UPON THE SURVIVAL OF NEURONAL CELLS IN A PROTEIN-DEPRIVED ENVIRONMENT

Anan D’Amide, Thomas H. O’Cannabinol and Too Ae Gee

Department of Linguistic Distortion, University of Endoca,
Nabino, ID, USA

There are suggestions in the literature that after exposure to the atmosphere at meetings of the ICRS, scientists generally perform better and show a greater degree of creativity than faculty members who did not attend the meetings (“deprived littermates”). We have recently reported the isolation of a novel pheromone, termed Icrsin, that is released by the delegates during the evening discussions, and that causes teenagers to use their brains rather than watch the TV (D’Amide et al., J. Irresponsible Med. 46 (2006) 82-93). In the present study, we have investigated whether Icrsin affects the ability of WIN-CP cells to survive a protein-deprived environment (a model for the reduced food intake due to the need to wade through mounds of paperwork awaiting delegates upon their return to their host institutions after the meetings). WIN-CP cells were cultured for five days in the presence of Icrsin (in a 2% ethanol solution, to mimic the conditions at the evening discussions) and cell survival was assessed morphologically and biochemically (measurement of standard marker enzymes) at different times after insult to the cells by pro-vost (1 µM), a well known toxic agent. In the absence of Icrsin, pro-vost caused a time-dependent loss in cell viability, accompanied by general necrosis and loss of activity of all isoforms of the cytosolic enzyme creativitase. Beaucratase levels, on the other hand, were increased tenfold. At low concentrations of Icsrin (10 fM – 1 pM), heat shock protein responses were decreased, and at the normal range of Icrsin (10 pM – 50 nM), the cells showed signs of rejuvenation and were totally resistant to pro-vost. This effect could be blocked by transfection of the cells with the repressor-protein rwjdu. Other cytotoxic agents, such as high levels of administratin and reduced grantfundin, were not protected against by Icrsin, suggesting a degree of specifticity of its action. It is concluded that Icrsin provides WIN-CP cells with an increased resiliance to the deleterious effects of pro-vost. The decreased level of heat shock is believed to underlie the need to cope with the warm and generally pleasant temperatures sometimes seen at ICRS locations. The mechanism of protection is suggested to involve the rwjdu (referee who just doesn’t understand) pathway.

Acknowledgements: Funded by the Deprived Scientists Research Fund (Grant. no. 43-5980).