Effect of the expression of the human pub gene on the proliferation and differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells

Abstract

We studied the effect of overexpression of the human pub gene on the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of PC-12 cells treated with nerve growth factor. We obtained a stable cell line overexpressing the human pub gene (the PC12-hpub line) and PC12-DNA3 control cell line. Using reverse transcription PCR, we showed transgene expression in cells of the PC12-hpub line. We found that under standard culturing conditions and under conditions of deprivation of trophic factors (1% embryonic calf serum), the growth rate of PC12-hpub cells did not differ from the rate of control PC12-DNA3 cells. After the induction of differentiation in these cells lines using nerve growth factor in the absence of serum, we found that, in 5 days, the number of differentiated cells with the neuronal phenotype in the PC12-hpub cells was smaller by a factor of 5 as compared to the control PC12-DNA3 cells. Thus, overexpression of the human pub gene in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells led to the suppression of their nerve-growth-factor-induced differentiation.