title: Expression of ionotropic glutamate receptor genes by P19 embryonal carcinoma cells.
abstract: P19 embryonal carcinoma cells can be induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells by retinoic acid. P19 neurons were recently shown to express both NMDA and non-NMDA type glutamate receptor-mediated currents and be susceptible to glutamate excitotoxicity. In this study, we used RT-PCR to survey differentiated P19 cultures for glutamate receptor transcript expression. The following transcripts were detected: at least one member of the GluR1-4 family, GluR5, GluR6, GluR7, KA1, KA2, NMDAR1, and NMDAR2B. Nuclease protection assays revealed a large quantitative induction of GluR6 transcripts following retinoic acid treatment. Inotropic glutamate receptors are a fundamental and major feature of CNS neurons which are not expressed by the cell lines commonly used as experimental models for mammalian neurons. The present results show that P19 cells express multiple genes involved in glutamate receptor biology. Since the stem cells can be manipulated genetically, the system has the basic requirements for analyzing mechanisms involved in glutamate receptor gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018236:Carcinoma, Embryonal / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D017931:DNA Primers; D015870:Gene Expression; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D014212:Tretinoin