title: Overexpression of Akt inhibits NGF-induced growth arrest and neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells.
abstract: To investigate the role of Akt in nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neuronal differentiation, PC12 cells ectopically expressing wild-type or dominant-inhibitory forms of Akt were analyzed. NGF-induced neurite outgrowth was greatly accelerated in cells expressing dominant-inhibitory Akt, compared to parental PC12 cells, but was almost completely blocked in cells expressing wild-type Akt. Since neuronal differentiation requires an arrest of cell growth, several aspects of cell growth of the different cell lines were compared. Cells expressing wild-type Akt were not susceptible to the growth-arresting effect of NGF, whereas parental PC12 cells and notably cells expressing mutant Akt were so affected. Accompanying this, the expressions of CDKs and p21(WAF1) were down- and up-regulated, respectively, in both parental PC12 cells and cells expressing mutant Akt. When treated with some growth arrest-inducing agents such as sodium nitroprusside, forskolin and butyrolactone I, cells expressing wild-type Akt regained their responsiveness to the effects of NGF on differentiation. In summary, our results indicate that Akt overrides the growth-arresting effect of NGF and thereby, negatively regulates neuronal differentiation.
authors: Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Taegu 702-701, Korea.
authors: O S
authors: OS
authors: Bang
authors: E K
authors: EK
authors: Park
authors: S I
authors: SI
authors: Yang
authors: S R
authors: SR
authors: Lee
authors: T F
authors: TF
authors: Franke
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: Kang
mesh_terms: D015107:4-Butyrolactone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015870:Gene Expression; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D016716:PC12 Cells; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: C493958:Cdkn1a protein, rat; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D009599:Nitroprusside; D005576:Colforsin; C082868:butyrolactone I; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; C494920:Akt1 protein, rat; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase; D015107:4-Butyrolactone