Serum and thyroid hormones T3 and T4 regulate nerve growth factor mRNA levels in mouse L cells.
Mouse L cells synthesize and secrete a neurotrophic factor related to the beta subunit of the submaxillary gland nerve growth factor (NGF) of male mice. Use of a cDNA probe which encodes the beta-NGF mRNA demonstrated that L cells produce a transcript identical in size to that of the submaxillary gland. Moreover, target sites of restriction enzymes EcoRI, PstI and BamHI were not significantly rearranged in the beta-NGF gene locus of these cells. The abundance of the beta-NGF transcript was found to depend on culture conditions. Removal of serum depressed the cellular content of polyadenylated RNA by a factor of 1.7, and decreased specifically the pool of beta-NGF transcript by an additional factor of 4. The presence of 10(-7) M testosterone in the serum-free medium did not modify the level of beta-NGF mRNA, while addition of 10(-7) M T3 (or T4) increased this level by a factor of 1.5. These data provide the first evidence that the beta-NGF mRNA of L cells is subjected to regulation, but in a way apparently different from that described for the submaxillary gland.
D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000494:pharmacology*
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013739:Testosterone; D004247:DNA; D013974:Thyroxine