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Neudesin, a secreted factor, promotes neural cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation in mouse neural precursor cells
Author(s) -
Kimura Ikuo,
Konishi Morichika,
Miyake Ayumi,
Fujimoto Masafumi,
Itoh Nobuyuki
Publication year - 2006
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/jnr.20849
Subject(s) - neural stem cell , precursor cell , biology , neural cell , neural development , cellular differentiation , embryonic stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology , neurosphere , neurotrophic factors , fibroblast growth factor , cell growth , protein kinase a , kinase , neuroscience , cell , stem cell , adult stem cell , biochemistry , receptor , gene
Abstract Neudesin encodes a secreted signal with neurotrophic activity in neurons. Most neurotrophic factors are involved in neural cell proliferation and/or differentiation. However, the role of neudesin in neural development remains to be elucidated. We examined the expression of neudesin in mouse embryonic cerebral cortex and cultured mouse neural precursor cells and its roles in neural development. Neudesin was expressed in the embryonic cerebral cortex early in development. Its expression was observed mainly in the preplate, where mostly postmitotic neural cells existed. Because neudesin mRNA was expressed in the neural precursor cells before the appearance of neurons, the roles of neudesin in neural development were examined by using the precursor cells. Neudesin significantly promoted neuronal differentiation and overrode the undifferentiated state of the neural precursor cells sustained by fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). In contrast, it inhibited the differentiation of astrocytes. In addition, neudesin transiently promoted neural cell proliferation early in the developmental process. The effect on cell proliferation was distinct from that of FGF2, a self‐renewal‐promoting factor for neural precursor cells. The differentiation was mediated though activation of the protein kinase A (PKA) and phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase (PI‐3K) pathways. In contrast, the proliferation was mediated through the mitogen‐activated protein kinase and PKA pathways. The expression profile and activity indicate that neudesin plays unique roles in neural development. The present findings have revealed new potential roles of neudesin in neural cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.