title: Nerve growth factor and ras regulate beta-amyloid precursor protein gene expression in PC12 cells.
abstract: The beta-amyloid protein, the major component of the vascular and plaque amyloid deposits that characterize Alzheimer's disease, derives from a larger beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) that is expressed in both neural and nonneural cells. An increased expression of APP might actively contribute to the development of the pathology; however, the mechanisms involved in the regulation of APP gene expression are not yet well understood. In PC12 cells, a rat pheochromocytoma cell line, we have demonstrated that nerve growth factor (NGF) induces the APP gene expression and increases APP mRNA levels in the presence of 0.5 or 15% serum. Expression of activated ras in the PC12 cell subline UR61 also leads to a significant increase in content of APP transcripts, and a dominant negative mutant of ras blocks the NGF-induced response. Other ligands of tyrosine kinase receptors, such as fibroblast growth factor, which causes morphological differentiation, or epidermal growth factor, which induces cell growth, also increase APP mRNA levels in PC12 cells. These results suggest that ras mediates the induction of APP gene expression by NGF and other ligands of tyrosine kinase receptors.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cosgaya
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Latasa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pascual
mesh_terms: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000235:genetics; D008024:Ligands; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016716:PC12 Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D008024:Ligands; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D018631:ras Proteins