title: Differentiation of central nervous system neuronal cells by fibroblast-derived growth factor requires at least two signaling pathways: roles for Ras and Src.
abstract: To evaluate the role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and other signaling pathways in neuronal cell differentiation by basic fibroblast-derived growth factor (bFGF), we used a conditionally immortalized cell line from rat hippocampal neurons (H19-7). Previous studies have shown that activation of MAP kinase kinase (MEK) is insufficient to induce neuronal differentiation of H19-7 cells. To test the requirement for MEK and MAP kinase (ERK1 and ERK2), H19-7 cells were treated with the MEK inhibitor PD098059. Although the MEK inhibitor blocked the induction of differentiation by constitutively activated Raf, the H19-7 cells still underwent differentiation by bFGF. These results suggest that an alternative pathway is utilized by bFGF for differentiation of the hippocampal neuronal cells. Expression in the H19-7 cells of a dominant-negative Ras (N17-Ras) or Raf (C4-Raf) blocked differentiation by bFGF, suggesting that Ras and probably Raf are required. Expression of dominant-negative Src (pcSrc295Arg) or microinjection of an anti-Src antibody blocked differentiation by bFGF in H19-7 cells, indicating that bFGF also signals through a Src kinase-mediated pathway. Although neither constitutively activated MEK (MEK-2E) nor v-Src was sufficient individually to differentiate the H19-7 cells, coexpression of constitutively activated MEK and v-Src induced neurite outgrowth. These results suggest that (i) activation of MAP kinase (ERK1 and ERK2) is neither necessary nor sufficient for differentiation by bFGF; (ii) activation of Src kinases is necessary but not sufficient for differentiation by bFGF; and (iii) differentiation of H19-7 neuronal cells by bFGF requires at least two signaling pathways activated by Ras and Src.
authors.affiliation: Ben May Institute for Cancer Research and Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rosner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D016501:Neurites; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D015688:Oncogene Protein pp60(v-src) / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D016392:Proto-Oncogene Proteins pp60(c-src) / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005419:Flavonoids; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D015688:Oncogene Protein pp60(v-src); D016392:Proto-Oncogene Proteins pp60(c-src); D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D018631:ras Proteins; C093973:2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one