Apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons is associated with reduced interaction between CREB-binding protein and NF-kappaB.

Cerebellar granule neurons undergo apoptosis when switched from medium containing depolarizing levels of potassium (high K+ medium, HK) to medium containing low K+ (LK). NF-kappaB, a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor, is involved in the survival-promoting effects of HK. However, neither the expression nor the intracellular localization of the five NF-kappaB proteins, or of IkappaB-alpha and IkappaB-beta, are altered in neurons primed to undergo apoptosis by LK, suggesting that uncommon mechanisms regulate NF-kappaB activity in granule neurons.