title: IL-6 increases choline acetyltransferase but not neuropeptide transcripts in sympathetic neurons.
abstract: The effect of interleukin (IL)-6 on cell survival, and the expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and neuropeptide mRNAs was examined in cultured rat sympathetic neurons. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that IL-6 treatment led to six-fold increase in ChAT mRNA without a concomitant increase in ChAT immunoreactivity. In contrast, treatment with ciliary neurotrophic factor or leukemia inhibitory factor/cholinergic differentiation factor increased ChAT mRNA levels 25-fold and resulted in intense ChAT immunoreactivity. Moreover, the latter factors increased somatostatin and preprotachykinin mRNA levels 10-fold whereas IL-6 had no effect. Maximal doses of IL-6 had no effect on cell survival. These findings provide a basis for the overlapping and yet divergent actions of these three factors which share some components of their signal transduction machinery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: O'Malley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D017783:Superior Cervical Ganglion / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D009479:Neuropeptides; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase