Premium
Does Phospholipid Methylation Play a Role in the Primary Mechanism of Action of Nerve Growth Factor?
Author(s) -
Ferrari Giovanna,
Greene Lloyd A.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1985.tb04072.x
Subject(s) - nerve growth factor , mechanism (biology) , phospholipid , mechanism of action , primary (astronomy) , methylation , action (physics) , chemistry , neuroscience , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biochemistry , in vitro , membrane , receptor , gene , philosophy , physics , epistemology , quantum mechanics , astronomy
Nerve growth factor (NGF)‐untreated (naive) and neurite‐bearing NGF‐treated (“primed”) PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells were used as model system to study the role of phospholipid methylation in the NGF mechanism of action. The neurite‐bearing cultures were deprived of NGF for 3 h before experimentation. Under both experimental conditions, the cells were labelled with [ methyl ‐ 3 H]methionine and then challenged with NGF for time periods ranging from 5 s to 30 min. Methylated phospholipids were extracted and then resolved and identified by TLC as phosphatidyl mono‐, di‐, and trimethyl ethanolamine. Quantification of the amount of radioactivity incorporated into each of the phospholipids indicated that NGF does not significantly alter phospholipid methylation either in naive or in neurite‐bearing cells. Furthermore, using a methyltransferase inhibitor, it was found that neurite outgrowth still occurs when phospholipid methylation is almost completely blocked. These results indicate that phospholipid methylation does not play a primary role in the mechanism of action of NGF.