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Infection with Murine Retrovirus Confers Resistance to the Neurotoxin 1‐Methyl‐4‐Phenylpyridinium Ion in PC12 Cells
Author(s) -
Kadan Michael J.,
Lo Mathew M. S.
Publication year - 1990
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.1471-4159.1990.tb04570.x
Subject(s) - neurotoxin , biology , cell culture , retrovirus , microbiology and biotechnology , catecholaminergic , catecholaminergic cell groups , virology , virus , biochemistry , dopamine , endocrinology , genetics
High concentrations of the dopaminergic neurotoxin l‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium ion (MPP + ) are toxic to the catecholaminergic cell line PC 12, derived from rat pheochromocytoma. Prolonged exposure of wild‐type PC 12 cells to 500 μ M MPP + yields toxin‐resistant colonies at a frequency of 2 ± 10 ‐ ‐ 4 . These spontaneously arising MPP + ‐resistant cells are morphologically quite distinct from wild‐type PC 12 cells, and are lacking in most of their characteristic catecholaminergic properties. In contrast, among PC12 cells infected with the murine retrovirus ZIPNEOSV(X), 20% are resistant to the toxin MPP + , a resistance frequency approximately 1,000 times higher than for uninfected cells. The morphology and catecholaminergic phenotype of the virus‐infected MPP + resistant cells are quite similar to those of wild‐type PC 12 cells. The results presented in this study suggest a unique mechanism of MPP + resistance in the infected PC 12 cells which may be conferred by the presence and/or expression of the retrovirus ZIPNEOSV(X).