title: Differential gene expression between human neurons and neuronal progenitor cells in culture: an analysis of arrayed cDNA clones in NTera2 human embryonal carcinoma cell line as a model system.
abstract: To elucidate the highly complex expression pattern of the genes involved in human neuronal differentiation, differential gene expression between human neurons and neuronal progenitor cells was investigated by analysis of a cDNA expression array in a pluripotent human embryonal carcinoma cell line NTera2 (NT2), a model system of human neuronal differentiation. Among 588 arrayed cDNA clones, 87 genes showed a differential expression pattern between undifferentiated neuronal progenitor cells (NT2-U) and NT2-derived differentiated neurons induced by treatment with retinoic acid (RA) (NT2-N), while 26 genes could not be analyzed due to high background signals. The levels of expression of 76 genes, including those encoding a group of transcription factors, intracellular signal-transducing proteins, cell death-regulatory proteins, and growth factors/cytokines/neurotransmitters and their receptors, were elevated after neuronal differentiation, while the levels of 11 genes, including those coding for cellular proliferation-related proteins, were decreased. Among the differentially expressed genes following induction of neuronal differentiation, significant up-regulation of the growth-associated protein (GAP-43), low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor p75 (LNGFR), and defender against apoptotic cell death (DAD1) mRNAs and substantial down-regulation of the proliferation-associated gene (PAG), fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR-1), and cellular RA-binding protein-II (CRABP-II) mRNAs were verified by Northern blot analysis. These results indicate that the analysis of cDNA expression arrays provides a useful approach for screening and identification of a set of distinct genes that undergo highly complex regulation during human neuronal differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Saga Medical School, Japan. satoj1@smsnet.saga-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuroda
mesh_terms: D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D014212:Tretinoin