Protease inhibitors influence the direction of neurite outgrowth.
Addition of protease inhibitors to the culture medium has been shown to enhance neurite outgrowth by cultured mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Those results are now extended to show that a diffusible source of soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) or zones of immobilized STI can orient the direction of outgrowth towards the region of STI. However, a high concentration of diffusible STI promotes outgrowth in the opposite direction from the STI source. Immobilized leupeptin, L-lysine, or D-Phe-Pro-Arg-chloromethyl ketone can also direct outgrowth towards their immobilized areas, as do zones of laminin or fibronectin. However, derivatized zones containing urokinase or thrombin preferentially direct outgrowth away from those zones. These data support the hypothesis that a balance between extracellular protease and inhibitor is important in mediating interactions between neurite growth cone and extracellular matrix.
Hawkins
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RL
Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Genetics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Medical School, Denver 80262.
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D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014360:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kunitz Soybean / Q000494:pharmacology
D003470:Culture Media; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D014360:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kunitz Soybean