Neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in neuronal cell differentiation.
Expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (n-NOS) was investigated during neuronal cell differentiation. Trace amounts of n-NOS mRNA were detected in the primary culture of neural precursor cell (NPC) at embryonic day 10, and a high level of n-NOS mRNA was observed after a further 7 days cultivation of NPC. Both n-NOS activity and its mRNA level were also increased in the human neuroblastoma cell line, TGW, following trans-retinoic acid (RA)-induced neuronal differentiation. These findings indicate that there is positive regulation of n-NOS mRNA during neuronal cell differentiation. However TGW cell differentiation with trans-RA could not be reversed by treatment with specific inhibitors of NOS. Thus, the signal transduction mechanism which is involved in the induction of neuronal cell differentiation by trans-RA appears to be distinct from the NO-mediated pathway.
Ogura
T
T
Investigative Treatment Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Japan. togura@east.nec.go.jp
Nakayama
K
K
Fujisawa
H
H
Esumi
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009447:Neuroblastoma; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014212:Tretinoin; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase