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Overexpression of the neuron‐specific molecule bm88 in mouse neuroblastoma cells: Altered responsiveness to growth factors
Author(s) -
Gomez Julissa,
Vernadakis Antonia,
Kentroti Susan,
Boutou Effrosini,
Hurel Catherine,
Mamalaki Avgi,
Matsas Rebecca
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4547(19980101)51:1<119::aid-jnr13>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor , nerve growth factor , choline acetyltransferase , neurotrophic factors , transfection , biology , cell culture , microbiology and biotechnology , basic fibroblast growth factor , cholinergic neuron , antigen , fibroblast growth factor , growth factor , neuroscience , cholinergic , immunology , biochemistry , receptor , genetics
Previous studies have shown that the BM88 antigen, a novel neuron‐specific molecule, promotes the differentiation of mouse neuroblastoma (Neuro 2a) cells. In particular, stably transfected, with the BM88 cDNA, Neuro 2a cells overexpressing the BM88 antigen (Neuro2a‐BM88 cells) are morphologically distinct from the nontransfected Neuro 2a cells; they exhibit enhanced process outgrowth and a slower rate of division. In this study we used Neuro2a and the morphologically differentiated Neuro 2a‐BM88 cells to compare their responsiveness to growth factors. The growth factors we used were nerve growth factor (NGF), basic‐fibroblast growth factor (b‐FGF), and glial cell‐line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). In addition, we used glial conditioned medium derived from either newborn mouse cerebral cortex (NBCC) or aged mouse cerebral hemispheres (MACH), as a source of normal glial factors. Because these cells express the cholinergic phenotype, we used choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity as a biochemical marker for comparison. A differential responsiveness to these factors was observed between Neuro 2a and Neuro 2a‐BM88. The presence of NGF, 25 ng/ml, in the culture medium did not affect ChAT activity in either cell type. In contrast to NGF, in the presence of b‐FGF, 5 ng/ml, the transfected cells, Neuro 2a‐BM88, responded with a marked increase in ChAT activity. On the other hand, with GDNF, 1 ng/ml, only Neuro 2a cells showed an increase in ChAT activity. Finally, we found no response to the glial conditioned media, although these media contain several growth factors, including b‐FGF. In conclusion, our findings show that overexpression of the neuron‐specific antigen BM88 in neuroblastoma cells modifies their properties with respect to growth factor sensitivity, and, hence, the Neuro 2a and Neuro 2a‐BM88 are suitable cell models to examine the role of growth factors in neuronal differentiation.