Mechanisms underlying sensitization of P2X7 receptors in astrocytes for induction of ischemic tolerance

Abstract We previously showed that noninvasive mild ischemia (preconditioning; PC) induced ischemic tolerance by upregulation of P2X7 receptors in astrocytes via a hypoxia inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α)‐dependent mechanism. The P2X7 receptor is known as a low‐sensitivity P2 receptor that requires a high extracellular ATP (eATP) concentration for activation. PC increased the eATP level but was not sufficient to activate P2X7 receptors. Here, we show that astrocytes possess an elaborate mechanism for activation of P2X7 receptors, thus contributing to ischemic tolerance. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) was shown to increase the sensitivity of P2X7 receptors to eATP via ecto‐ADP‐ribosyltransferase 2 (ARTC2)‐catalyzed ADP‐ribosylation in peripheral immune cells. Although ARTC2‐positive signals were mostly absent in the naïve brain, they were selectively increased in astrocytes by PC. The spatiotemporal pattern of PC‐evoked ARTC2 was well associated with that of P2X7 receptors. In the in vitro experiments, NAD + increased the sensitivity of P2X7 receptors to ATP, and at higher concentrations, NAD + itself activated P2X7 receptors without eATP in cultured astrocytes. In the in vivo experiments using middle cerebral artery occlusion model mice, the PC‐evoked increase in HIF‐1α in astrocytes was abolished by the ARTC2 inhibitor S + 16a. S + 16a also abolished PC‐evoked ischemic tolerance. Taken together, the results suggested that P2X7 receptors can be sensitized to ATP by NAD + /ARTC2‐catalyzed ADP‐ribosylation, which allows astrocytes to drive P2X7 receptor‐mediated ischemic tolerance even though PC only slightly increases the amount of eATP.