Nerve growth factor is a mitogen for cultured chromaffin cells

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is essential for the survival and differentiation of a number of neural crest derivatives, including sympathetic and sensory neurones. While early studies suggested that NGF might also have a mitogenic effect on these neurones, subsequent work has favoured the interpretation that NGF promotes cell survival or differentiation rather than proliferation. We have addressed the issue of a mitogenic effect of NGF using adrenal chromaffin cells, which are endocrine cells derived from the neural crest, and are closely related to sympathetic neurones. Adrenal chromaffin cells respond to NGF in vitro by expressing neuronal traits. We now report that NGF elicits a mitotic response in cultured chromaffin cells from young rats, and that this response is blocked by an antiserum to 2.5S NGF. The chromaffin cells that divided in response to NGF can subsequently become neuronal in the continued presence of NGF.     

Desensitisation of cultured glial cells to epidermal growth factor by receptor down-regulation.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), which can be purified from the mouse submaxillary gland or from pregnant human urine, is a potent multiplication-stimulating factor for several types of cultured cells, including human fibroblasts and glial cells. The molecule binds with high affinity and saturation kinetics to a cell-surface receptor, is subsequently internalised and finally degraded. The binding event is accompanied by a reduction in the number of EGF receptors. This phenomenon--'receptor down-regulation'--has been demonstrated with several hormones and may be a general principle for the modulation of binding groups on the outer cell surface. Further, it has been proposed that receptor loss acts to regulate the cellular response to the binding ligand. The present study provides direct experimental support for this hypothesis. It demonstrates that down-regulation of EGF receptors on glial cells causes desensitisation of the mitogenic response of these cells to subsequent stimulation with EGF.     

Induction of hair growth by implantation of cultured dermal papilla cells

Mammalian hairs are formed by differentiation and keratinization of cells produced in the epidermal matrix (Figs 3, 4). Using the rodent vibrissa follicle as a model, transplantation studies have shown that the dermal papilla, a discrete population of specialized fibroblasts, is of prime importance in the growth of hair. Papillae induce hair growth when implanted into follicles and can interact with skin epidermis to form new hair follicles. When grown in culture, papilla cells display singular morphological and behavioural characteristics compared with connective tissue cells from other skin sources. We report here that serially cultured adult papilla cells can induce the growth of hair when implanted into follicles which otherwise would not grow hairs. This finding presents an opportunity to characterize properties distinguishing the papilla cell population from other skin fibroblasts, and, more specifically, those which control hair growth. The eventual application of this work to human hair replacement techniques can also be envisaged.     

Inhibition of growth factor-induced differentiation of PC12 cells by microinjection of antibody to ras p21

The protein products (p21) of the ras cellular proto-oncogenes are thought to transduce membrane signals necessary for the induction of cell division. However, there is uncertainty as to the precise role of ras p21 in mediating ligand-membrane receptor signals leading to cell differentiation. Treatment of rat phaeochromocytoma cells (PC12) with nerve growth factor (NGF) results in the induction of a number of phenotypic characteristics of sympathetic neurones, including cessation of cell division and outgrowth of neuronal processes (neurites). Here we report that microinjection of antibody to ras p21 into PC12 cells inhibited neurite formation and resulted in temporary regression of partially extended neurites, an effect which was observed up to 36 h after initiation of NGF treatment. Neurite formation induced by cyclic AMP was unaffected by injection of anti-p21 antibody. These results indicate that p21 is involved in the initiation phase of NGF-induced neurite formation in PC12 cells and has a role in hormone-mediated cellular responses distinct from cell proliferation.     

Involvement of the epidermal growth factor receptor in the invasion of cultured mammalian cells by Salmonella typhimurium.

Salmonella infection continues to be a major world-wide health problem. One essential pathogenic feature common to all Salmonella is their ability to penetrate the cells of the intestinal epithelium which are normally non-phagocytic. The internalization of Salmonella into mammalian cells is thought to be a receptor-mediated phenomenon and the invasion of cultured epithelial cells depends on several Salmonella genes, but nothing is known about the host determinants participating in this interaction. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation follows stimulation of many cell-surface receptors to initiate signal transduction pathways that stimulate cellular responses. We report here that invasion of cultured Henle-407 cells by Salmonella typhimurium induces the tyrosine phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. In contrast, an isogenic strain of S. typhimurium that is defective in invasion owing to a mutation in the invA gene is unable to induce such phosphorylation. Addition of EGF to cultured Henle-407 cells allowed the internalization of the invasion-defective S. typhimurium invA mutant although it did not cause the internalization of an adherent, but non-invasive, strain of Escherichia coli. This result indicates that stimulation of the EGF receptor is involved in the invasion of cultured Henle-407 cells by S. typhimurium.     

Amyloid beta-peptide is produced by cultured cells during normal metabolism.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the extracellular deposition in the brain and its blood vessels of insoluble aggregates of the amyloid beta-peptide (A beta), a fragment, of about 40 amino acids in length, of the integral membrane protein beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP). The mechanism of extracellular accumulation of A beta in brain is unknown and no simple in vitro or in vivo model systems that produce extracellular A beta have been described. We report here the unexpected identification of the 4K (M(r) 4,000) A beta and a truncated form of A beta (approximately 3K) in media from cultures of primary cells and untransfected and beta-APP-transfected cell lines grown under normal conditions. These peptides were immunoprecipitated readily from culture medium by A beta-specific antibodies and their identities confirmed by sequencing. The concept that pathological processes are responsible for the production of A beta must not be reassessed in light of the observation that A beta is produced in soluble form in vitro and in vivo during normal cellular metabolism. Further, these findings provide the basis for using simple cell culture systems to identify drugs that block the formation or release of A beta, the primary protein constituent of the senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease.     

Nerve growth factor induces adrenergic neuronal differentiation in F9 teratocarcinoma cells

Teratocarcinoma cells have been used as a model to study differentiation and development in vertebrates. Treatment with retinoic acid (RA) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP can in some embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell lines lead to neural differentiation, as judged by neurofilament expression and by the induction of enzymes involved in cholinergic transmission. Short-term culture of F9 line cells with RA and dibutyryl cyclic AMP results in a biochemically demonstrable rise in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. We now report that long-term culture of F9 cells with RA and dibutyryl cyclic AMP induces neurofilament expression, demonstrated by immunofluorescence with specific antibodies. Furthermore, if nerve growth factor (NGF) is also added, the developing neurone-like cells exhibit immunoreactivity to tyrosine hydroxylase, a rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine synthesis specific for adrenergic neurones. Immunoreactivity for Leu-enkephalin-like peptides is also induced. These results suggest that F9 cells can differentiate into cells with adrenergic characteristics.     

碱性成纤维细胞生长因子对无血清培养大鼠生长板软骨细胞的影响

目的：探讨碱性成纤维细胞生长因子（bFGF）用于无血清培养扩增软骨细胞的可行性及最适质量浓度。方法：分离、培养大鼠肋生长板软骨细胞（rat costochondral growth plate chondrocyte,RGC）。细胞化学和免疫细胞化学染色的方法检测第1代RGC中蛋白多糖和Ⅱ型胶原的表达。观察0．1、1．0、10．0和100．0μg/L bFGF对无血清培养RGC形态的影响,并分别用^3H—TdR和^3H—Proline掺入法检测上述质量浓度bFGF对无血清培养RGC增殖和胶原合成的影响。结果：第1代RGC表达蛋白多糖和Ⅱ型胶原,保持了软骨细胞的分化表型。随着bFGF质量浓度的增加RGC的形态由多角形变为梭形和圆形。与无血清对照组相比,上述4个质量浓度的bFGF均显著促进RGC的增殖和胶原合成（P〈0．05）,其中1．0和10．0μg／L bFGF促RGC增殖的作用与10％胎牛血清（FBS）对照组差异无显著性意义（P〉0．05）,但促胶原合成作用较弱,相当于10％FBS对照组的印％左右（P〈0．05）。结论：bFGF可用于无血清扩增软骨细胞,1．0～10．0μg/L是适宜的质量浓度范围,但其促胶原合成作用较弱,还需添加其他因子以弥补促胶原合成作用的不足。     

Single Na+ channel currents observed in cultured rat muscle cells

The voltage- and time-dependent conductance of membrane Na+ channels is responsible for the propagation of action potentials in nerve and muscle cells. In voltage-step-clamp experiments on neurone preparations containing 10(4)-10(7) Na+ channels the membrane conductance shows smooth variations in time, but analysis of fluctuations and other eivdence suggest that the underlying single-channel conductance changes are stochastic, rapid transitions between 'closed' and 'open' states as seen in other channel types. We report here the first observations of currents through individual Na+ channels under physiological conditions using an improved version of the extracellular patch-clamp technique on cultured rat muscle cells. Our observations support earlier inferences about channel gating and show a single-channel conductance of approximately 18 pS.     

Achyranthes bidentata Blume extract promotes neuronal growth in cultured embryonic rat hippocampal neurons

We have prepared an aqueous extract of Achyranthes bidentata Blume, a commonly prescribed Chinese medicinal herb, and reported, in previous studies, that A. bidentata extract benefits nerve growth and prevents neuron apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the actions of A. bidentata extract on survival and growth of primarily cultured rat hippocampal neurons. The morphological observation revealed that neurite growth from hippocampal neurons was significantly enhanced by A. bidentata extract with similar effects to those induced by nerve growth factor (NGF), and the greatest neurite growth appeared on treatment with A. bidentata extract at 1 μg/ml for 24 h. DNA microarray analysis indicated that there were 25 upregulated genes and 47 downregulated genes exhibiting significantly differential expression in hippocampal neurons treated with A. bidentata extract at 1 μg/ml for 6 h when compared to those in untreated hippocampal neurons. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of growth-associated protein-43 in hippocampal neurons was upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels after treatment with A. bidentata extract, and the optimal dosage of the extract was also 1 μg/ml. These data confirm that A. bidentata extract could promote in vitro hippocampal neuronal growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner.