Effect of scoparone on neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells

The neurite outgrowth-promoting effects of scoparone isolated from the stem bark of Liriodendron tulipifera were investigated in PC12 cells. At a concentration of 200 microM, scoparone markedly induced neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells. Scoparone at 200 microM also enhanced the outgrowth of neurites from cells in the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF, 2 ng/ml). The levels of intracellular cyclic AMP and concentration of Ca2+ were also increased by 200 microM scoparone. In addition, scoparone at 200 microM increased the activities of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC) and Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II (CaMK II). However, scoparone-induced neurite outgrowth was blocked by a mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor (U0126), a PKA inhibitor (H89), a PKC inhibitor (GF109203X) and a CaMK II inhibitor (KN62). These kinase inhibitors also reduced the scoparone-induced neurite outgrowth associated with NGF. These results suggest that scoparone can induce neurite outgrowth by stimulating the upstream steps of ERK, PKA, PKC and CaMK II in PC12 cells.     

Electrically induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells on the electrode surface

Morphological differentiation of PC12 cells cultured on an indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode has been induced to grow neurites in the absence of nerve growth factor (NGF) by electrical stimulation. Rectangular pulse wave potentials were applied to the electrode at amplitudes of 200 mV and 400 mV with frequencies of 50Hz, 500Hz, and 1 kHz. The PC12 cells differentiated most prominently at 200 mV with 100Hz. No statistically significant differences were observed among the electrically induced neurite lengths. The electrically induced differentiation was completely inhibited by a blockade of calcium influx using LaCl₃. This indicates that repeated potential shift in the vicinity of a cellular membrane may stimulate morphological response, probably through calcium ion channels.     

The heat shock protein inhibitor KNK437 induces neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells

The nervous system is highly sensitive to various environmental stresses, such as ischemia. Stress response mechanisms that result in neuroprotection, including the induction of heat shock proteins (HSP), are not well understood. We examined the effect of KNK437, a compound that inhibits the synthesis of inducible heat shock proteins, on neuronal differentiation in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. KNK437 decreased the expression of HSP70, and induced the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells in the absence of stress stimulation, although with lower efficacy than nerve growth factor (NGF). Neurite outgrowth stimulated by KNK437 and NGF was blocked by inhibitors of ERK mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, p38 MAP kinase, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β signaling pathways. NGF, and not KNK437, induced acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity, a functional differentiation marker, indicating that KNK437 utilizes a mechanism distinct from that of NGF. KNK437 enhanced the activity of low dose NGF treatment on neurite outgrowth induction and ERK phosphorylation in PC12 cells, a finding that identifies KNK437 as a possible nerve regeneration agent. This compound may be a useful tool for the investigation of neuronal differentiation and neuroprotection against environmental stress.     

Inhibition of NGF-induced neurite outgrowth of rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) following administration of dioxyamphetamine

Amphetamine analogs are known to induce not only neurotoxicity at serotonergic axon terminals but also neocortical neuronal degeneration. However, a much less studied aspect involves the impact of amphetamine exposure on neuronal development. The present study investigated whether pretreatment of PC12 cells with dioxyamphetamine (DA) alters differentiation of PC12 cells by NGF and, if so, which components of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway known to be involved in the differentiation response to NGF are particularly affected. Though exposure of PC12 cells to DA 1 h prior to NGF treatment resulted in apopotosis, several PC12 cells survived. However, neurite outgrowth of these NGF-responsive cells was repressed. Immunoblots of whole cell extracts revealed a strong induction rather than inhibition of ERK phosphorylation up to 48 h after DA/NGF treatment. Our results indicate that NGF-mediated neurite outgrowth was inhibited by pretreatment with DA, and this blockage of NGF-induced neuritogenesis was not due to an inhibition of ERK phosphorylation.     

Effects of extracellular calcium concentration on neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells by staurosporine

Staurosporine as an inhibitor of protein kinases can induce neuronal differentiation in PC12 cells. We investigated the role of extracellular Ca²⁺ on staurosporine inducing neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. The cells were cultured during cell differentiation in the presence of 214 nM staurosporine with 0.0–0.7 Ca²⁺mM as treatment media. We obtained the fraction of neurite-bearing cells, total neurite length and the percentage of cytotoxiciy. The results showed that decrease or increase of extracellular calcium ions resulted in correspondingly significant decrease or increase in total neurite length and cell differentiation in treated cells. With an increase of extracellular calcium concentration from 0.0 to 0.7 mM, the percentage of cytotoxicity of the PC12 cells decreased (p < 0.05). Our data suggest that staurosporine uses the extracellular calcium ions to affect on neurite outgrowth.     

Marked effect of RhoA-specific shRNA-producing plasmids on neurite growth in PC12 cells

In order to promote neurite outgrowth, we constructed a plasmid producing RhoA-specific small hairpin RNA (shRNA) to block RhoA expression and tested its actions in PC12 cells. Our results show that the shRNA-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) successfully suppressed RhoA expression. As a consequence of RhoA knockdown, F-actin levels were significantly reduced and processes were markedly induced. These processes express two neurite markers, neurofilament and betaIII tubulin. This study demonstrates that plasmid-producing shRNA specific for RhoA can act as an effective tool to induce neurite outgrowth and further confirms the neurite growth-inhibitory role of RhoA. This shRNA may thus be a useful tool in promoting neurite outgrowth and could be applicable in neural repair after CNS injury.     

Visfatin induces neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells via ERK1/2 signaling pathway

The angiogenic and inflammatory functions of visfatin and its effect on vascular cells, are fairly well known. However, its role within the nervous system remains largely unclear. To gain insight into this area, we studied the neuritogenic effect of visfatin on PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. We investigated whether visfatin gene expression, which is upregulated by hypoxia in cancer cells, is associated with neuritogenesis in PC12 cells. Using RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, ELISA, morphological observations, and immunostaining, we initially showed that CoCl₂, a hypoxic mimetic agent, upregulated visfatin gene expression along with neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. We also showed that visfatin stimulated neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. Moreover, in PC12 cells, visfatin evoked the activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), which is closely linked to neuritogenesis. Visfatin-induced outgrowth of neurites was prevented by inhibition of the ERK1/2 pathway. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that visfatin induces neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells via the activation of an ERK-dependent pathway, and suggest that visfatin may exert various biological, physiological, and pathological functions in not only the vascular system but also the nervous system.     

Neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells is enhanced by an inhibitor of mechanical channels

GsMTx4, a peptide inhibitor for mechanosensitive ion channels (MSCs), promoted neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells in the presence of NGF in a dose-dependent manner between 5 and 100 μM peptide. Enhanced neurite growth required >12 h of peptide exposure in cells grown with NGF. Adsorption of GsMTx4 to serum proteins in the media lowered the free peptide concentration of 100 μM to a free concentration of 5 μM, a concentration shown to completely inhibit MSCs in the patch clamp assay. Outside-out patches from PC12 cells grown in NGF had mechanically activated cation channels that were reversibly inhibited by GsMTx4. These results are similar to those observed by Gomez and co-workers [4] in Xenopus spinal cord. The inhibition of mechanosensitive channels by GsMTx4 may be a useful approach to accelerate regeneration of neurons in neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injury.     

Synthesis of poly(ester-carbonate) with a pendant acetylcholine analog for promoting neurite growth

The modification of biodegradable polyesters with bioactive molecules has become an important strategy for controlling neuron adhesion and neurite outgrowth in nerve regeneration. In this study we report a biodegradable poly(ester-carbonate) with a pendant acetylcholine analog, which a neurotransmitter for the enhancement of neuron adhesion and outgrowth. The acetylcholine-functionalized poly(ester-carbonate) (Ach-P(LA-ClTMC)) was prepared by copolymerizing l-lactide (LA) and 5-methyl-5-chloroethoxycarbonyl trimethylene carbonate (ClTMC), followed by quaternization with trimethylamine. The acetylcholine analog content could be modulated by changing the molar feeding fraction of ClTMC. The incorporation of the acetylcholine analog improved the hydrophilicity of the films, but the acetylcholine analog content did not significantly influence the surface morphology of the acetylcholine-functionalized films. The results of PC12 cell culture showed that the acetylcholine analog promoted cell viability and neurite outgrowth in a concentration-dependent manner. The longest length of neurite and the percentage of cells bearing neurites were obtained on the Ach-P(LA-ClTMC)-10 film. All the results indicate that the integration of the acetylcholine analog at an appropriate fraction could be an effective strategy for optimizing the existing biodegradable polyesters for nerve regeneration applications.     

Voltage dependent calcium currents in PC12 growth cones and cells during NGF-induced cell growth

The role of calcium currents in the regulation of neurite outgrowth is still rather speculative. As a contribution to this field, macroscopic voltage dependent calcium currents were investigated in relation to the nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced outgrowth of neurites in PC 12 cells. Calcium currents were recorded in isolated growth cones of PC 12 cells using the whole cell patch clamp method. The currents were activated at high voltages and only slightly inactivated with time. The currents were identical to those found in the cell soma of PC 12 cells and similar to the classical high-voltage-activated calcium current found in many neuronal cells. The peak current density in the growth cones was in the same range as in the cell somata. The calcium currents of the cell somata were not modified during the early phase of NGF application, despite the occurrence of NGF-induced soma growth and outgrowth of neurites. The current density at this time was therefore lower in NGF-treated cells than in untreated cells. In a later phase, maximal current amplitudes of NGF-treated cells were higher than in untreated cells indicating an increase in current density to values similar to that found in the untreated cells. In addition, the calcium current inactivation was found to be more pronounced in the NGF-treated cells by that time. The results are discussed with regard to a possible role of calcium currents in the regulation of NGF-induced neurite outgrowth in these cells.     

实验性高血压大鼠左心室肥大心肌细胞中黏着斑激酶的表达

目的研究黏着斑激酶（FAK）在高血压心室肥大发生发展机制中的作用。方法以特发性高血压心力衰竭（SHHF）大鼠为研究对象,通过免疫荧光标记、共聚焦显微镜及Western blot等方法,检测不同月龄SHHF大鼠左心室心肌细胞中FAK的表达及其分布。结果实验组SHHF大鼠与对照组WKY大鼠比较,FAK的表达在2月龄时无明显变化（50．5±6．9比49．8±5．0,n=6,P〉0．05）,而6、12、18月龄的SHHF大鼠心肌细胞中,FAK表达明显增加（130．6±3．0比47．3±1．3,144．7±5．4比46．4±3．1,141．4±9．8比48．5±2．2,各组n=6,P〈0．05）,并且聚集在心肌细胞两端的闰盘和细胞核等部位。结论在心肌肥大的发展过程中,FAK表达增加并有闰盘及核内的聚积,提示FAK与心肌肥大关系密切,可能参与了心肌肥大细胞信号转导的调控。     

粘着斑激酶在血管内皮细胞迁移中的作用

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) that can localize indirectly to sites of clustering integrin family of heterodimeric receptors. As an important structure and signaling molecule in the adhesive complexes, which are large and stable referred as ‘focal adhesions‘ or relatively small and transient within filopodia and lamellipodia named ‘focal complexes‘, FAK is closely related with cell death, proliferation and migration. In this review, we discuss the function of FAK in the regulation of endothelial cell migration based on current data.     

Characterization of CoCl2-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS): Inductions of neurite outgrowth and endothelin-2/vasoactive intestinal contractor in PC12 cells by CoCl2 are ROS dependent, but those by MnCl2 are not

CoCl(2) and MnCl(2) are hypoxic mimetic agents. We previously found that expression of ET-2/VIC, one of hypoxia-related factors, and the induction of neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells through ROS induced by CoCl(2). MnCl(2) also are known to induce neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. However, it is unclear whether the mechanism of the effect induced by these metals is same. In the present study, we evaluated biological effects induced by MnCl(2) and compared with those induced by CoCl(2). Furthermore, we analyzed sources of CoCl(2)-induced ROS generation. MnCl(2) up-regulated ET-2/VIC gene expression and ET-2/VIC peptide production as CoCl(2) did, but not affect ET-1 gene expression, in the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. NAC did not at all inhibit the effects induced by MnCl(2). Furthermore, addition of MnCl(2) to the culture medium did not generate ROS as CoCl(2) did. These results indicate that ET-2/VIC expression is a common pathway in neurite outgrowth induced by CoCl(2) and MnCl(2), but the effects induced by CoCl(2) are ROS dependent, whereas the effects induced by MnCl(2) are ROS independent. Taken together, the mechanism for the effects by CoCl(2) was different from that by MnCl(2). The ROS, were not decomposed by catalase or SOD, were rapidly generated by reaction of CoCl(2) mainly with components of HS rather than with FBS or DMEM. Some ROS generated by reaction of CoCl(2) with components of HS may participate in the observed neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells.     

JNK信号转导通路在NGF抗6-OHDA诱导PC12细胞凋亡中的作用

目的： 以6-羟基多巴胺(6-OHDA)作用于大鼠肾上腺嗜铬细胞瘤细胞(PC12 cells)以诱导其凋亡,然后在其中分别加入神经生长因子（NGF）及c-Jun氨基端激酶（JNK）阻断剂SP600125,研究在加入NGF后JNK的活性与凋亡的关系。方法: 实验分为对照组、6-OHDA组、NGF组、6-OHDA+NGF组、6-OHDA+JNK阻断剂SP600125组,以流式细胞分析法检测各组PC12细胞的凋亡率,以免疫印迹（Western blotting）法检测各组PC12细胞JNK的活化情况。结果: 6-OHDA导致PC12细胞凋亡,JNK1活性提高;预孵SP600125或NGF15min后再加入6-OHDA则PC12细胞凋亡率及JNK1活性均降低。结论: JNK1参与了6-OHDA致PC12细胞凋亡作用,NGF抗6-OHDA所诱导的PC12细胞凋亡作用与其抑制JNK的活化有关。     

Sciatic nerve conditioned medium depleted of pro-NGF modulates sodium currents and neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells

Excitability and axon/dendrite specification are the most distinctive features in the establishment of neuronal polarization. Conditioned medium from rat sciatic nerve (CM) induced a neuronal-like morphology in PC12 cells. Here we show that CM neuritogenic activity is limited to the induction of dendrites in PC12 cells. However, treatment of these cells with CM in combination with a generic inhibitor for tyrosine kinase receptors (k252a) promoted the enhancement of neurite length, development of axons and induction of sodium currents. On the other hand, specific inhibition of TrkA and p75^NTR receptors in CM-treated cells reduced the neurite length in comparison with cells treated only with CM, although the effect over the induction of sodium currents was continuously observed. These results suggested that CM had some components that, even though are able to start the morphological cell differentiation and produce short neurites (likely acting through TrkA and p75^NTR), can restrain further neurite extension. Depletion of pro-NGF isoforms from CM produced a similar effect as the exerted by k252a, TrkA and p75^NTR receptor inhibitors in CM-treated cells, inducing the elicitation of sodium currents. These results suggested that the effect of CM might be mediated through pro-NGF. The difference between the results obtained with the generic inhibitor for Trk receptors and the specific inhibitors for TrkA and p75^NTR receptors in CM-treated cells, suggested that alternative pathways could be used to regulate neurite elongation, axon specification and sodium currents in PC12 cells. These findings represent important clues to improve the understanding of the initiation of neuronal polarity.     

鱼藤酮对PC12细胞多巴胺相关转运体的影响

探讨鱼藤酮对PC12细胞多巴胺转运体(DAT)和突触囊泡单胺转运体2(VMAT2)的影响。我们将PC12细胞经不同浓度的鱼藤酮处理24h后,利用HE染色观察PC12细胞的形态学变化;利用免疫组织化学法观察不同浓度的鱼藤酮对PC12细胞酪氨酸羟化酶(TH),DAT和VMAT2蛋白表达的影响;利用RT-PCR法检测鱼藤酮对PC12细胞DAT和VMAT2基因表达的影响;通过生化实验检测Na+/K+-ATP酶活性。实验结果显示:鱼藤酮浓度为1.0mmol/L时,PC12细胞出现了明显的形态学改变,胞浆染色不均、胞体呈圆形、细胞核形状不规则、核浆比例增加;TH蛋白阳性细胞数量减少;DAT蛋白和基因表达增加;VMAT2蛋白和基因表达降低,与对照组比较均具有统计学意义(P<0.05),且随着鱼藤酮浓度的增加,变化趋势更为明显。鱼藤酮浓度为1.0mmol/L时,Na+/K+-ATP酶活力与对照组比较显著降低(P<0.05)。因此,DAT和VMAT2的表达异常可能参与了毒性作用。     

丹参单体通过下调粘着斑激酶诱导H2O2刺激的肝星状细胞凋亡

目的: 研究丹参单体IH764-3对H₂O₂刺激的肝星状细胞(HSCs)凋亡的诱导作用以及此过程中粘着斑激酶(FAK)的变化。方法: 通过直接细胞计数法测定HSCs增殖;光学显微镜及透射电镜技术观察凋亡细胞的形态学改变,并应用膜联蛋白(Annexin-V)/碘化丙啶(PI)联合标记法检测HSCs的凋亡率;运用RT-PCR方法观察FAKmRNA表达。结果: H₂O₂具有刺激HSCs增殖的作用;丹参单体IH764-3能够诱导H₂O₂刺激的HSCs凋亡,并呈剂量依赖关系:10mg/L、20mg/L、30mg/L及40mg/LIH764-3干预48h后各组凋亡率分别为6.35%、9.28%、15.10%、19.69%,而H₂O₂组为2.30%;30mg/LIH764-3干预HSCs不同时间(12h、24h、48h)的凋亡率分别是6.73%、10.34%、15.10%,呈时间依赖关系;RT-PCR分析表明FAK基因表达强度在加入IH764-3后2h即明显下调,10mg/L,20mg/L,30mg/L及40mg/L组分别比H₂O₂组低了68.71%、71.00%、86.72%、95.16%。结论: 丹参单体IH764-3可以诱导H₂O₂刺激的HSCs凋亡,下调FAKmRNA表达是其诱导HSCs凋亡的机制之一。     

Roscovitine促进增殖期PC12细胞凋亡

目的探讨细胞周期蛋白依赖激酶（CDK）抑制剂Roscovitine导致增殖期PC12细胞死亡的性质和CDK调控的细胞周期与细胞凋亡的关系。方法利用培养的增殖期PC12细胞模型，进行MTT细胞活性检测、Hoechst 33342胞核荧光染色和倒置显微镜观察。结果分别用5、10、20、50和100μmol／L浓度的Roscovitine溶液处理细胞12h，细胞存活率呈剂量依赖性下降；另外，50μmol／L浓度的Roscovitine分别处理细胞4、12、24和48h，细胞死亡也呈现时间依赖性。细胞死亡的形态学表现是细胞皱缩、核染色体固缩和核碎片形成。结论Roscotivine导致的增殖期PC12细胞凋亡与CDK调控的细胞周期蛋白有关。     

Induction of neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells by the medium-chain fatty acid octanoic acid

It has been shown that polyunsaturated fatty acids such as arachinonic and docosahexanoic acids but not monounsaturated and saturated long-chain fatty acids promote basal and nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neurite extension of PC12 cells, a line derived from a rat pheochromocytoma. On the other hand, short-chain fatty acids and valproic acid (2-propylpentanoic acid) enhance the growth of neurite processes of the cells only in the presence of inducers. In this study, we demonstrated that straight medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) at millimolar concentrations alone potently induced neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. Hexanoic, heptanoic and octanoic acids dose-dependently induced neurite outgrowth of the cells: their maximal effects determined 2 days after addition to the culture medium were more marked than the effect of NGF. PC12 cells exposed to octanoic acid expressed increased levels of the neuronal marker beta-tubulin isotype III. Nonanoic, decanoic, and dodecanoic acids also induced growth of neurite processes, but their maximal effects were less marked than that of octanoic acid. In contrast, the polyunsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid and short-chain fatty acids had only slight or almost no effects on neurite formation in the absence of NGF. The effect of octanoic acid was synergistic with or additive to the effects of NGF and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Octanoic acid upregulated phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), critical signaling molecules in neuronal differentiation, but not phosphorylation of Akt, a signaling molecule downstream of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Moreover, growth of neurites induced by octanoic acid was potently inhibited by treatment of cells with the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 and the ERK kinase inhibitor PD98059 but not inhibited and only slightly inhibited by the JNK inhibitor SP600125 and the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin, respectively. Taken together, our results indicate that MCFAs, including octanoic acid, induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells in the absence of NGF and suggest that the activation of p38 MAPK and ERK pathways is involved in this process.