title: Differential effects of cAMP in neurons and astrocytes. Role of B-raf.
abstract: Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation provides cell type-specific signals important for cellular differentiation, proliferation, and survival. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) has divergent effects on MAPK activity depending on whether signaling is through Ras/Raf-1 or Rap1/B-raf. We found that central nervous system-derived neurons, but not astrocytes, express B-raf. In neurons, cAMP activated MAPK in a Rap1/B-raf-dependent manner, while in astrocytes, cAMP decreased MAPK activity. Inhibition of MAPK in neurons decreased neuronal growth factor-mediated survival, and activation of MAPK by cAMP analogues rescued neurons from death. Furthermore, constitutive expression of B-raf in astrocytoma cells increased MAPK activation, as seen in neurons, and enhanced proliferation. These data provide the first experimental evidence that B-raf is the molecular switch which dominantly permits differential cAMP-dependent regulation of MAPK in neurons versus astrocytes, with important implications for both survival and proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Center for the Study of Nervous System Injury, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Dugan
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Bart
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Holtzman
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Gutmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020668:rap GTP-Binding Proteins
chemical_list: D000242:Cyclic AMP; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D020668:rap GTP-Binding Proteins