title: F-spondin promotes nerve precursor differentiation.
abstract: Cells in the developing nervous system secrete a large number of proteins that regulate the migration and differentiation of their neighbors. It is shown here that a clonal central nervous system cell line secretes a protein that causes both a rat hippocampal progenitor cell line and primary cortical neural cells to differentiate into cells with the morphological and biochemical features of neurons. This protein was identified as F-spondin. Analysis of F-spondin isoforms secreted from transfected cells shows that the core protein without the thrombospondin type 1 repeats is sufficient to promote neuronal differentiation when adsorbed to a surface. F-spondin can also inhibit neurite outgrowth while allowing the expression of nerve-specific proteins when present in a soluble form at high concentrations. Therefore, F-spondin can alter cell differentiation in multiple ways, depending upon its concentration and distribution between substrate-attached and soluble forms.
authors.affiliation: The Salk Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. Schubert@salk.edu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.forename: Avihu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klar
authors.forename: Minkyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dargusch
authors.forename: Wolfgang H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D016501:Neurites / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010455:Peptides; C498955:Spon1 protein, rat