title: Alpha 1-tubulin mRNA level is increased during neurite outgrowth of NG 108-15 cells but not during neurite outgrowth inhibition by CNS myelin.
abstract: alpha 1-tubulin is an isotype of alpha-tubulin, and its mRNA is expressed in the rodent nervous system. A high level of alpha 1-tubulin mRNA in neurones is associated with axonal outgrowth during development as well as with axonal regeneration after axotomy in adult animals. We quantitated alpha 1-tubulin mRNA levels in motor neurone-like NG 108-15 cells using Northern blots in order to determine whether the expression of this neurite outgrowth-associated gene is regulated in NG 108-15 cells during neurite extension and during inhibition of this process by CNS myelin. Here we report that during the acute phase of neurite outgrowth, alpha 1-tubulin mRNA level increases in NG 108-15, a maximal induction of 1.7-fold over the initial level occurring 24 h after neurite outgrowth onset. By contrast, when these cells are plated on CNS myelin alpha 1-tubulin mRNA levels show no such increase. These findings indicate that an increase of the alpha 1-tubulin mRNA level is associated with neurite outgrowth of NG 108-15 cells. More interestingly, this study also demonstrates that the inhibition of neurite outgrowth by CNS myelin may affect the expression of a gene encoding a protein involved in neurite extension.
authors.affiliation: Catholic University of Louvain, Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Knoops
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Octave
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002490:Central Nervous System; D017931:DNA Primers; D005910:Glioma; D006822:Hybrid Cells; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000502:physiology*; D016501:Neurites / Q000502:physiology*; D009447:Neuroblastoma; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014404:Tubulin / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014404:Tubulin; D003994:Bucladesine