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Endothelins Stimulate c‐ fos and Nerve Growth Factor Expression in Astrocytes and Astrocytoma
Author(s) -
Ladenheim R. G.,
Lacroix I.,
FoignantChaverot N.,
Strosberg A. D.,
Couraud P. O.
Publication year - 1993
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.1471-4159.1993.tb05846.x
Subject(s) - endothelins , protein kinase c , biology , nerve growth factor , staurosporine , endocrinology , medicine , growth factor , neuroglia , bisindolylmaleimide , astrocyte , signal transduction , microbiology and biotechnology , endothelin 1 , receptor , central nervous system , biochemistry
Endothelin receptors have been identified on astrocytes and astrocytoma, but their physiological significance has remained elusive. It is shown here that endothelins induce c‐ fos in primary cultures of mouse embryo astrocytes, as well as in two subclones of rat astrocytoma C6 cells, although with different kinetics. In addition, nerve growth factor expression is stimulated, as seen by mRNA accumulation and protein secretion, in primary astrocytes and one of the two C6 subclones, with an apparent correlation with the transience of c‐ fos induction. The activation of protein kinase C appears as an obligatory step during these processes, because (a) inhibition of protein kinase C by staurosporine blocks the induction by endothelin or phorbol esters of both c‐ fos and nerve growth factor, and (b) phorbol esterevoked down‐regulation of protein kinase C completely abolishes the c‐ fos induction by endothelin, but not that by the β‐adrenergic agonist isoproterenol, a known activator of the cyclic AMP‐dependent pathway. Our results support the hypothesis that c‐ fos product might be implicated in nerve growth factor expression by astrocytes, and also suggest that endothelins may participate in vivo in the modulation of the glial neurotrophic activity during brain development or wound healing.