title: Dibutyryl cyclic AMP-induced process formation in astrocytes is associated with a decrease in tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and paxillin.
abstract: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK or pp125FAK) is a cytosolic protein tyrosine kinase which plays an important role in integrin-mediated signal transduction. Adhesion of cells to the substratum correlates with an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK as well as an associated protein, paxillin. In this report we show that the tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK and paxillin are decreased during dibutyryl cyclic AMP-induced (dB-cAMP) process formation in astrocytes. When astrocytes in suspension are treated with dB-cAMP, no alteration in morphology or tyrosine phosphorylation is observed, suggesting that both phenomena are linked and adhesion dependent. Furthermore, genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, can induce process formation in such cells, underscoring the significance of protein tyrosine kinases in maintaining the morphology of adherent cells. Finally, endothelin-1, a vasopeptide which is known to inhibit process formation in astrocytes, inhibited the tyrosine dephosphorylation of proteins associated with dB-cAMP treatment. These results suggest that the formation of asymmetric processes in astrocytes results from a coordinated set of alterations in the actin cytoskeleton as well as the adhesion of the cell to the substratum. Modification of the properties of such molecules is required for process formation and the dynamic modulation of astrocytic morphology in vitro and in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Taub Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clayton
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Shelanski
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D015638:Cytochalasin D / Q000494:pharmacology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D019833:Genistein / Q000494:pharmacology; D051419:Paxillin; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000378:metabolism*; D016596:Vinculin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D051419:Paxillin; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C496063:Pxn protein, rat; D016596:Vinculin; D015638:Cytochalasin D; D014443:Tyrosine; D003994:Bucladesine; D019833:Genistein; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C496052:Ptk2 protein, rat