title: Cardiotrophin-like cytokine induces astrocyte differentiation of fetal neuroepithelial cells via activation of STAT3.
abstract: Cardiotrophin-like cytokine (CLC), also known as novel neurotrophin-1/B cell stimulating factor-3 (NNT-1/BSF-3), is a recently identified member of the interleukin (IL)-6 family of cytokines that share gp130 as a signal-transducing receptor component. In this study, we demonstrate that CLC is expressed in fetal mouse neuroepithelial cells and has a potential to induce their astrocyte differentiation in a synergistic manner with bone-morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, which is also expressed in the fetal mouse brain. CLC-stimulation led to promoter activation of the gene for an astrocyte marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), which was clearly inhibited by expression of a dominant negative form of a transcription factor, STAT3, or by introduction of a mutation in a single STAT3-binding site in the promoter, suggesting a critical role of STAT3 in the CLC-induced GFAP transcription. These results suggest that CLC plays a role in astrocyte differentiation via STAT3 activation within the developing brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Fate Modulation, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yanagisawa
authors.forename: Kinichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D015151:Immunoblotting; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta
chemical_list: C525719:Bmp2 protein, mouse; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; C121169:cardiotrophin-like cytokine