Nerve growth factor-mediated differentiation of a nerve cell line cultured in a hormone-supplemented serum-free medium.

Abstract

Abstract In newly-isolated subclone of PC12, designated h, nerve growth factor (NGF) is known to cause an increase of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity concomitantly with that of choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity16. When the PC12h cells were cultured and maintained for several generations in a hormone-supplemented serum-free medium, only TH activity was selectively enhanced by NGF, while CAT and glutamic acid decarboxylase activities remained unaffected. PC12h cells cultured in serum-free medium could extend long neurites in response to NGF. The loss of the NGF-mediated increase of CAT activity in PC12h cells cultured in serum-free medium was fully restored upon re-exposure to serum. The NGF-mediated increase of TH activity in PC12h cells cultured in serum-free medium was additive to that increased by an applications of 10−5-10−10 M dexamethasone. In conclusion, PC12h cells cultured in chemically-defined serum-free medium, having responses to NGF identical to sympathetic neurons, will be a useful model for elucidating the molecular mechanism(s) of NGF-mediated neuronal differentiation.