Enhancement of NGF- and cholera toxin-induced neurite outgrowth by butyrate in PC12 cells

It has been shown that sodium butyrate (NaBu) does not elicit neurite outgrowth of PC12, one of the most widely used cell lines as a model of neuronal differentiation. In this study, the effects of NaBu on nerve growth factor (NGF)- and cholera toxin-induced neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells were examined. NaBu dose-dependently enhanced neurite formation induced by both agents. The maximum responses obtained at 0.5 mM NaBu were nearly twice those of the inducers alone. Propionate and valerate were also effective, but acetate and caproate were ineffective. Among the butyrate analogs with a moiety of three to five carbon atoms tested, isobutyrate, isovalerate, vinylacetate and 3-chloropropionate enhanced neurite outgrowth promoted by both inducers. However, neither alpha-, beta-, and gamma-aminobutyrates nor alpha-, beta-, and gamma-hydroxybutyrates were effective. All of the effective short-chain fatty acids and their analogs increased the level of histone acetylation, while ineffective ones did not. Furthermore, Helminthosporium carbonum toxin (HC toxin), a structurally dissimilar inhibitor of histone deacetylase, mimicked the effect of butyrate. These results suggest that NaBu enhances neurite outgrowth induced by NGF and cholera toxin in PC12 cells through a mechanism involving an increase in the level of histone acetylation.