title: Removal of PSA from NCAM affects the survival of magnocellular vasopressin- and oxytocin-producing neurons in organotypic cultures of the paraventricular nucleus.
abstract: The expression of the polysialic acid neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) in the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system has been correlated with morphofunctional plasticity. In this study, we investigated the role of PSA-NCAM in the survival of oxytocin (OT)- and vasopressin (VP)-producing magnocellular cells of this system. We used a recently developed organotypic slice culture model of the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in which ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) are potent survival factors for magnocellular neurons. We demonstrate by means of confocal microscopy that cultured magnocellular VP and OT neurons express strong immunoreactivity for PSA-NCAM. Removal of PSA from NCAM by the enzyme Endo N leads to a significant loss of both VP and OT neurons in the presence of low concentrations of CNTF. Endo N treatment did not change cell survival in the presence of LIF. These results suggest that, in addition to its role in neuro-glial plasticity, PSA-NCAM might also influence the trophic factor responsiveness of hypothalamic VP and OT neurosecretory cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Surgical Intensive Care, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vutskits
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gascon
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Kiss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000494:pharmacology; D006131:Growth Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D006131:Growth Inhibitors; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D008222:Lymphokines; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D012794:Sialic Acids; C103469:polysialyl neural cell adhesion molecule; D014667:Vasopressins; D010121:Oxytocin; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C090534:endo-alpha-sialidase