Protein kinase C-alpha and -epsilon are enriched in growth cones of differentiating SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells.

SH-SY5Y cells differentiate into neuronal-like cells and express marker proteins like growth-associated protein (GAP-43) and neuropeptide tyrosine when treated with a low concentration (16 nM) of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in the presence of growth factors or serum. Both control and differentiated cells expressed protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-alpha), PKC-epsilon, and PKC-zeta as revealed by Western blot analyses, but the subcellular distribution of the three isoforms was not uniform, indicating specific localized functions of the enzymes. In growth cones prepared from differentiating cells PKC-alpha and PKC-epsilon were enriched. In contrast, PKC-zeta was more evenly distributed within the differentiating cell. Cells treated with a high concentration of TPA (1.6 microM) differentiate poorly and continue to proliferate. In those cells, PKC-alpha and PKC-epsilon were found to be down-regulated while PKC-zeta remained present. Thus, down-regulation of PKC-alpha and PKC-epsilon appears to be incompatible with neuronal differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells. These cells also differentiate when treated with a combination of basic fibroblast growth factor and insulin-like growth factor I. Growth cones isolated from such cells are also enriched in PKC-alpha and PKC-epsilon, but not in PKC-zeta. Based on the subcellular distribution of PKC-alpha and epsilon, and that PKC substrates like GAP-43 and pp60c-src are enriched in SH-SY5Y growth cones, a role during neurite growth is suggested.

Protein synthesis and mRNA in isolated growth cones from differentiating SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

The human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y, differentiates into a neuronal, sympathetic phenotype in the presence of phorbol ester and serum. Growth cones prepared from differentiating SH-SY5Y cells have characteristics similar to those of growth cones from embryonic rat brain. In addition, SH-SY5Y growth cones contain ribosomes. In this study we show, by metabolic labeling of isolated growth cones, that local protein synthesis occurred in these structures. The pattern of labeled proteins was very similar to that of the corresponding cell body fraction. RNA was shown to be transported to the growth cone compartment, and by in situ hybridization. beta-actin mRNA could be visualized in intact neuritic growth cones. Comparison by Northern blot hybridizations of RNA prepared from growth cones and cell bodies, respectively, showed that mRNAs coding for growth-associated protein 43, microtubule-associated protein 2, actin, neuropeptide tyrosine, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were present in both fractions. In contrast, mRNAs coding for the nuclear proteins c-jun and N-myc were virtually absent in the growth cone, but readily detectable in the cell body preparation. The selective distribution of mRNAs to the growth cones was not restricted to stable, abundant mRNA species, since mRNA coding for the insulin-like growth factor I receptor was stable, but not present in growth cones. Thus, differentiating SH-SY5Y cells can sort and transport RNA to the growth cone compartment, suggesting that this system of clonal cells could be useful to unravel mechanisms involved in the compartmentalization of mRNA.

pp59fyn and pp62c-yes are enriched in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma growth cones but do not associate to the 38 kDa protein which complexes with pp60c src and pp60c-srcN.

The tyrosine-specific kinases pp60c-src and pp60c-srcN (pp60src) are slightly enriched and activated in growth cones isolated from neuronally differentiating SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. In the growth cones the two src isoforms are associated with a 38 kDa protein. In this report, we have compared the subcellular distribution of pp59fyn and pp62c-yes with that of pp60src in differentiating SH-SY5Y cells. Like pp60src, the other two tyrosine kinases were slightly enriched and activated in the growth cones as compared to the levels in the cell bodies. The kinase activities were 3- to 4-times higher in growth cones than in cell bodies. However, only pp60src formed a complex with the 38 kDa protein while immunoprecipitation of pp59fyn brought down an additional protein of 90 kDa. This may suggest that these related tyrosine kinases have different substrates and in part mediate different cellular responses in the growth cones of differentiating SH-SY5Y cells.

Malignant osteopetrosis: c-src kinase is not reduced in fibroblasts.

Targeted disruption of the c-src gene leads to a severe form of osteopetrosis in mice [2]. As the c-src gene is expressed in all tissues and cells tested, we have analyzed fibroblasts from three individuals with malignant, congenital osteopetrosis for the expression of c-src at the protein level. No differences could be detected in c-src protein and c-src kinase activity levels between fibroblasts from healthy controls and affected individuals. Thus, impairment of c-src function as an etiological factor in human osteopetrosis appears unlikely in the individuals investigated.

A complex consisting of pp60c-src/pp60c-srcN and a 38 kDa protein is highly enriched in growth cones from differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

Nerve growth cones of primary neurons are highly enriched in the proto-oncogene product pp60c-src. In order to investigate this molecule further in growing neuronal cells, growth cone and cell body fractions were prepared from human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells differentiated neuronally in vitro under the influence of phorbol ester. The fractions were characterized ultrastructurally and by biochemical criteria. The neuronal (pp60c-srcN) and the fibroblastic (pp60c-src) forms of pp60src are slightly enriched and activated in the growth cones relative to the perikarya. Immunoprecipitates of pp60src from differentiated SH-SY5Y growth cones contain at least four phosphoproteins in addition to pp60src. One of these, pp38, migrates as a 100-140 kDa complex with pp60src under non-reducing conditions of gel electrophoresis. The pp38/pp60src complex is not easily detected in non-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells or perikarya of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells, but it is highly enriched in the growth cone preparation. These data suggest that growth-cone pp60src exists in a disulfide-linked oligomeric complex. The complex appears to be assembled only in the cell periphery and may be dependent upon neuronal differentiation.

Insulin-like growth factor I shifts from promoting cell division to potentiating maturation during neuronal differentiation.

SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells undergo neuronal differentiation and their proliferation is inhibited when they are treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) are mitogens for the nontreated SH-SY5Y cells, whereas the proliferative response to such factor stimulation is lost upon differentiation, in spite of the fact that the receptors for insulin and IGF-I remain expressed and functional in the differentiated cells. Here we show that the PMA-induced differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells grown in a serum-free medium is strongly potentiated by nanomolar concentrations of IGF-I, as judged by morphology and markers for neuronal differentiation--e.g., neuropeptide tyrosine and growth-associated protein 43. Also, insulin and IGF-II potentiated the phorbol ester-induced differentiation, although less efficiently than IGF-I. Using blocking anti-receptor antibodies, it could be shown that the differentiation induced by these factors, in combination with PMA, was primarily mediated through the IGF-I receptor.

Divergent changes of chromogranin A/secretogranin II levels in differentiating human neuroblastoma cells.

Human neuroblastoma cells were cultured either in the absence or presence of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) known to induce neuronal differentiation. This treatment led to a marked increase in the concentration of secretogranin II but to a decrease of chromogranin A. Analogous changes were observed for the respective mRNAs. Thus during differentiation of these cells the biosynthesis of two vesicle constituents of large dense core vesicles is differentially regulated as determined both at the mRNA and the protein level. Levels of both synaptin/synaptophysin large dense core vesicles is differentially regulated as determined both at the mRNA and the protein level. Levels of both synaptin/synaptophysin and SV2 were also elevated but to a smaller degree than that of secretogranin II.

Human neuroblastoma cells in culture: a model for neuronal cell differentiation and function.

The human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y, differentiates into neuron-like cells according to morphological, biochemical and functional criteria when treated with biologically active phorbol-esters. The differentiated phenotype is described and alterations in proto-oncogene expression in connection with growth control and differentiation are presented and discussed.

Early activation of endogenous pp60src kinase activity during neuronal differentiation of cultured human neuroblastoma cells.

The proto-oncogene product pp60c-src is a tyrosine-specific kinase with a still unresolved cellular function. High levels of pp60c-src in neurons and the existence of a neuronal pp60c-src variant, pp60c-srcN, suggest participation in the progress or maintenance of the differentiated phenotype of neurons. We have previously reported that phorbol esters, e.g., 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), stimulate human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells to neuronal differentiation, as monitored by morphological, biochemical, and functional differentiation markers. In this report, we describe activation of the pp60src (pp60c-src and pp60c-srcN) kinase activity observed at 6 h after induction of SH-SY5Y cells with TPA. This phenomenon coincides in time with neurite outgrowth, formation of growth cone-like structures, and an increase of GAP43 mRNA expression, which are the earliest indications of neuronal differentiation in these cells. The highest specific src kinase activity (a three- to fourfold increase 4 days after induction) was noted in cells treated with 16 nM TPA; this concentration is optimal for development of the TPA-induced neuronal phenotype. During differentiation, there was no alteration in the 1:1 ratio of pp60c-src to pp60c-srcN found in untreated SH-SY5Y cells. V8 protease and trypsin phosphopeptide mapping of pp60src from in vivo 32P-labeled cells showed that the overall phosphorylation of pp60src was higher in differentiated than in untreated cells, mainly because of an intense serine 12 phosphorylation. Tyrosine 416 phosphorylation was not detectable in either cell type, and no change during differentiation in tyrosine 527 phosphorylation was observed.