Heterodimeric Neurotrophins Induce Phosphorylation of Trk Receptors and Promote Neuronal Differentiation in PC12 Cells

In all vertebrate species, the homeobox gene goosecoid serves as a marker of the Spemann organizer tissue. One function of the organizer is the induction of neural tissue. To investigate the role of goosecoid in neuronal differentiation of mammalian cells, we have introduced goosecoid into PC12 cells. Expression of goosecoid resulted in reduced cell proliferation and enhanced neurite outgrowth in response to NGF. Expression of goosecoid led to a decrease in the percentage of S-phase cells and to upregulation of the expression of the neuron-specific markers MAP-1b and neurofilament-L. Analysis of goosecoid mutants revealed that these effects were independent of either DNA binding or homodimerization of Goosecoid. Coexpression of the N-terminal portion of the ets transcription factor PU.1, a protein that can bind to Goosecoid, repressed neurite outgrowth and rescued the proliferation of PC12 cultures. In contrast, expression of the bHLH transcription factor HES-1 repressed goosecoid-mediated neurite outgrowth without changing the proportion of S-phase cells. These results suggest that goosecoid is involved in neuronal differentiation in two ways, by slowing the cell cycle and stimulating neurite outgrowth, and that these two events are separately regulated.

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ras-induced neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells: possible involvement of fos and jun

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.9.8.3174-3183.1989 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 3174-3183

Author(s):

P Sassone-Corsi ◽

C J Der ◽

I M Verma

Keyword(s):

Signal Transduction ◽

Neuronal Differentiation ◽

Pc12 Cells ◽

Transcriptional Activation ◽

Signal Transduction Pathway ◽

Cellular Transformation ◽

Sympathetic Neuron ◽

Binding Activity ◽

Ras Protein ◽

Dna Binding Activity

Rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells differentiate to sympathetic neuron-like cells upon treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF). The ras and src transforming proteins also induce PC12 neuronal differentiation and are likely to involve the protein kinase C signal transduction pathway. Using a number of ras mutants, we have established that the domains of oncogenic ras protein responsible for PC12 differentiation overlap those required for cellular transformation. All of the ras mutants that induced neuronal differentiation also activated c-fos transcription through the dyad symmetry element (DSE). Transforming ras protein activated an intracellular signal pathway, which led to the induction of 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate-responsive elements; activation was enhanced by coexpression of the proto-oncogene jun (encoding AP-1) and was further augmented by fos. Nuclear extracts from ras-infected PC12 cells showed an increased AP-1 DNA-binding activity. Transcriptional activation by ras was independent of the cyclic AMP-dependent pathway of signal transduction. We propose a possible involvement of fos and jun in ras-induced differentiation.

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