scholarly journals Nerve Growth Factor in Cancer Cell Death and Survival

Cancers ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 510-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niamh Molloy ◽  
Danielle Read ◽  
Adrienne Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Death Receptor ◽  
Cancer Therapeutics ◽  
Aberrant Expression ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Cancer Cell Death ◽  
Survival Signaling

One of the major challenges for cancer therapeutics is the resistance of many tumor cells to induction of cell death due to pro-survival signaling in the cancer cells. Here we review the growing literature which shows that neurotrophins contribute to pro-survival signaling in many different types of cancer. In particular, nerve growth factor, the archetypal neurotrophin, has been shown to play a role in tumorigenesis over the past decade. Nerve growth factor mediates its effects through its two cognate receptors, TrkA, a receptor tyrosine kinase and p75NTR, a member of the death receptor superfamily. Depending on the tumor origin, pro-survival signaling can be mediated by TrkA receptors or by p75NTR. For example, in breast cancer the aberrant expression of nerve growth factor stimulates proliferative signaling through TrkA and pro-survival signaling through p75NTR. This latter signaling through p75NTR promotes increased resistance to the induction of cell death by chemotherapeutic treatments. In contrast, in prostate cells the p75NTR mediates cell death and prevents metastasis. In prostate cancer, expression of this receptor is lost, which contributes to tumor progression by allowing cells to survive, proliferate and metastasize. This review focuses on our current knowledge of neurotrophin signaling in cancer, with a particular emphasis on nerve growth factor regulation of cell death and survival in cancer.

scholarly journals Pro-Nerve Growth Factor Induces Activation of RhoA Kinase and Neuronal Cell Death

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Sycheva ◽  
Jake Sustarich ◽  
Yuxian Zhang ◽  
Vaithinathan Selvaraju ◽  
Thangiah Geetha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Kinase Activity ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Neuronal Cell Death ◽  
Rho Kinase ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Rhoa Kinase

We have previously shown that the expression of pro-nerve growth factor (proNGF) was significantly increased, nerve growth factor (NGF) level was decreased, and the expression of p75NTR was enhanced in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) hippocampal samples. NGF regulates cell survival and differentiation by binding TrkA and p75NTR receptors. ProNGF is the precursor form of NGF, binds to p75NTR, and induces cell apoptosis. The objective of this study is to determine whether the increased p75NTR expression in AD is due to the accumulation of proNGF and Rho kinase activation. PC12 cells were stimulated with either proNGF or NGF. Pull-down assay was carried out to determine the RhoA kinase activity. We found the expression of p75NTR was enhanced by proNGF compared to NGF. The proNGF stimulation also increased the RhoA kinase activity leading to apoptosis. The expression of active RhoA kinase was found to be increased in human AD hippocampus compared to control. The addition of RhoA kinase inhibitor Y27632 not only blocked the RhoA kinase activity but also reduced the expression of p75NTR receptor and inhibited the activation of JNK and MAPK induced by proNGF. This suggests that overexpression of proNGF in AD enhances p75NTR expression and activation of RhoA, leading to neuronal cell death.

Tunicamycin-Induced Cell Death in the Trigeminal Ganglion is Suppressed by Nerve Growth Factor in the Mouse Embryo

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-467
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Ichikawa ◽  
Bing-Ran Zhao ◽  
Mitsuhiro Kano ◽  
Yoshinaka Shimizu ◽  
Toshihiko Suzuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Trigeminal Ganglion ◽  
Mouse Embryo ◽  
Nerve Growth

scholarly journals Nerve growth factor withdrawal-induced cell death in neuronal PC12 cells resembles that in sympathetic neurons.

1992 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 1669-1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
P W Mesner ◽  
T R Winters ◽  
S H Green
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Programmed Cell Death ◽  
Pc12 Cells ◽  
Sympathetic Neurons ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Neuronal Pc12 Cells ◽  
New Protein

Previous studies have shown that in neuronal cells the developmental phenomenon of programmed cell death is an active process, requiring synthesis of both RNA and protein. This presumably reflects a requirement for novel gene products to effect cell death. It is shown here that the death of nerve growth factor-deprived neuronal PC12 cells occurs at the same rate as that of rat sympathetic neurons and, like rat sympathetic neurons, involves new transcription and translation. In nerve growth factor-deprived neuronal PC12 cells, a decline in metabolic activity, assessed by uptake of [3H]2-deoxyglucose, precedes the decline in cell number, assessed by counts of trypan blue-excluding cells. Both declines are prevented by actinomycin D and anisomycin. In contrast, the death of nonneuronal (chromaffin-like) PC12 cells is not inhibited by transcription or translation inhibitors and thus does not require new protein synthesis. DNA fragmentation by internucleosomal cleavage does not appear to be a consistent or significant aspect of cell death in sympathetic neurons, neuronal PC12 cells, or nonneuronal PC12 cells, notwithstanding that the putative nuclease inhibitor aurintricarboxylic acid protects sympathetic neurons, as well as neuronal and nonneuronal PC12 cells, from death induced by trophic factor removal. Both phenotypic classes of PC12 cells respond to aurintricarboxylic acid with similar dose-response characteristics. Our results indicate that programmed cell death in neuronal PC12 cells, but not in nonneuronal PC12 cells, resembles programmed cell death in sympathetic neurons in significant mechanistic aspects: time course, role of new protein synthesis, and lack of a significant degree of DNA fragmentation.

Pattern of expression of the jun family of transcription factors during the early development of the inner ear: implications in apoptosis

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (22) ◽  
pp. 3967-3974
Author(s):  
C. Sanz ◽  
Y. Leon ◽  
S. Canon ◽  
L. Alvarez ◽  
F. Giraldez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Otic Vesicle ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Vestibular Ganglion ◽  
Amino Terminal

Jun transcription factors have been implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. We have investigated the relationship between Jun expression and cell death in the developing chicken inner ear. c-jun and junD transcripts were expressed in the epithelium of the otic placode and otic vesicle. c-jun expression was restricted to the dorsal area of the otic pit (stages 14–17), dorsal otic vesicle and cochleo-vestibular ganglion (stages 18–20). junD expression was transient and occurred in the dorsal and upper medial aspects of the otic pit and otic cup, but it was down-regulated in the otic vesicle. A parallel TUNEL analysis revealed that expression of c-jun co-located within areas of intense apoptosis. Furthermore, phosphorylation of c-Jun at serine-63 by Jun amino-terminal-kinases was detected in the dorsal otic pit, otic vesicle and cochleo-vestibular ganglion. c-Jun protein exhibited DNA binding activity, as assessed by gel mobility shift assays. The association between c-Jun and apoptosis was further demonstrated by studying nerve growth factor-induced apoptosis in cultured otic vesicles. Nerve growth factor-induced cell death and c-Jun phosphorylation that were suppressed by insulin-like growth factor-I and by viral-mediated overexpression of Raf, which had survival effects. In conclusion, the precise regulation of the expression and activity of Jun proteins in the otic primordium suggests that it may operate as a fundamental mechanism during organogenesis.

Nerve growth factor protects adult sensory neurons from cell death and atrophy caused by nerve injury

1987 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith M. Rich ◽  
Jack R. Luszczynski ◽  
Patricia A. Osborne ◽  
Eugene M. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Nerve Injury ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Nerve Growth
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