title: Growth factors and steroid mediated regulation of cytoskeletal protein expression in serum-deprived primary astrocyte cultures.
abstract: In this research we aimed to investigate the interactions between growth factors (GFs) and dexamethasone (DEX) on cytoskeletal proteins GFAP and vimentin (VIM) expression under different experimental conditions. Condition I: 24 h pretreatment with bFGF, subsequent 72 h switching in serum-free medium (SFM) and final addition of GFs, alone or by two in the last 24 h, after a prolonged (60 h) DEX treatment. Condition II: 36 h pretreatment with DEX (with bFGF in the last 24 h), followed by SFM for 60 h and final addition for 24 h with growth factors alone or two of them together. Western blot analysis data showed a marked GFAP expression in cultures submitted to Condition I comparing results to untreated or treated controls. VIM expression was instead significantly reduced after GFs addition in the last 24 h of 60 h DEX treatment, respect to control DEX-pretreated ones. Referring data to untreated controls, VIM expression was significantly enhanced after GFs addition. GFAP showed also a significant increase in astrocytes submitted to Condition II, respect to untreated or treated control cultures. VIM expression was up and down regulated under Condition II. Collectively, our findings evidence an interactive dialogue between GFs and DEX in astroglial cultures, co-pretreated with DEX and bFGF, regulating cytoskeletal network under stressful conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Catania, viale Andrea Doria, 6, 95125, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bramanti
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bronzi
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tomassoni
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raciti
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Avitabile
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amenta
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D014746:Vimentin; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D003907:Dexamethasone