title: Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide induces astrocyte differentiation of precursor cells from developing cerebral cortex.
abstract: Ciliary neurotrophic factor and bone morphogenetic proteins induce astrocytogenesis in the developing rat brain by stimulating STAT- and Smad-dependent signaling, respectively. We previously found that stimulation of the cAMP-dependent signaling pathway also triggers differentiation of cerebral cortical precursor cells into astrocytes, providing an additional mechanism to promote astrocyte differentiation. In this study, we show that pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), but not the related vasoactive intestinal peptide, induces astrocyte differentiation of cortical precursor cells, even after a transient exposure. Cortical precursors were found to express predominantly the short isoform of the PACAP-specific PAC1 receptor, which couples to adenylate cyclase. Consistent with this notion, we determined that exposure of cortical precursors to PACAP resulted in a dose-dependent increase in cAMP production. Pretreatment of cells with the cAMP antagonist Rp-cAMPS prevented astrocyte differentiation. Thus, PACAP acts as an extracellular signal to trigger cortical precursor cell differentiation into astrocytes via stimulation of intracellular cAMP production.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Endocrinology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vallejo
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallejo
mesh_terms: D015124:8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005333:Fetus; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051236:Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D051237:Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I; D011979:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C495403:Adcyap1 protein, rat; C495505:Adcyap1r1 protein, rat; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D009479:Neuropeptides; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D051236:Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D051237:Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I; D011979:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone; D015124:8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate; D000242:Cyclic AMP