title: Phenotypic development of neonatal rat chromaffin cells in response to adrenal growth factors and glucocorticoids: focus on pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide.
abstract: We have investigated the regulation of the morphological phenotype of chromaffin cells cultured from 6-day-old rat adrenal glands. We show that pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), which is present in and released from nerves innervating chromaffin cells, rapidly induces neuritic growth, affecting 25% of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive chromaffin cells after 3 days at an optimal concentration of about 20 nM. PACAP does not synergistically act with other factors known to promote neurite growth, including nerve growth factor (NGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF, FGF-2), and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). The neurite promoting effect of PACAP and FGF-2 is entirely overridden by dexamethasone (2 x 10(-8) M) suggesting that, despite the presence of these promoting factors in the adrenal medulla, glucocorticoids from the adrenal cortex are probably sufficient to prevent the development of neuronal traits in adrenal chromaffin cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krieglstein
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002838:Chromaffin System / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010641:Phenotype; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: C495403:Adcyap1 protein, rat; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D003907:Dexamethasone