title: Neuregulin 1-β regulates cell adhesion molecule L1 expression in the cortex and hippocampus of mice.
abstract: Neuregulin 1 (Nrg1) functions in neuronal migration, survival and differentiation as well as synaptogenesis during ontogenetic development and maintenance of synaptic functions in the adult mammalian brain. The neural adhesion molecule L1 (L1CAM) functions in similar overlapping, but also non-overlapping roles in the nervous system. In the present study, we therefore investigated some aspects of the functional relationship between Nrg1 and L1 in mammalian neural cells. Nrg1 regulates the expression of L1 in cultures of both human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells and mouse cortical and hippocampal neurons. To analyze the role of Nrg1 on L1 expression in vivo, young adult male mice received intraperitoneal injections of Nrg1 or PBS (vehicle control). The correlation between Nrg1 and L1 expression was tested by qPCR, Western blot analysis, and immunocytology. Our data indicate that neuregulin 1-β (Nrg1β) increases L1 expression in neurons of the cerebral cortex, and decreases expression in neurons of the hippocampus in vitro and in vivo. In addition, Nrg1 induces phosphorylation of its receptors, ErbB2 and ErbB4, the predominant ErbB receptors in the nervous system. These results show that Nrg1β affects expression of L1 in the central nervous system and in parallel activates the ErbB receptors for Nrg1, suggesting a crosstalk between molecules that are of prime importance for nervous system functions.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Rd, Shantou, Guangdong Province 515041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Melitta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schachner
authors.forename: Weijiang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020890:Neuregulin-1 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D020890:Neuregulin-1; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4; C117467:neuregulin beta; C587689:ERBB4 protein, human; C587690:Erbb4 protein, mouse
keywords: Cortex; Hippocampus; L1CAM; Mouse; Nrg1β