Skin cell induction of calcitonin gene-related peptide in embryonic sensory neurons in vitro involves activin

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-15-2001

Journal

Developmental Biology

Volume

229

Issue

2

DOI

10.1006/dbio.2000.9966

Keywords

Activin; Bone morphogenetic protein; Calcitonin gene-related peptide; Dorsal root ganglion; Sensory neuron; Skin; Target-derived factor; Transforming growth factor β

Abstract

Target skin cells induce the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in naïve embryonic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in vitro, but the molecular basis of that induction is not known. Recombinant activin or bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) dramatically increase the number of sensory neurons with CGRP and substance P in vitro (X. Ai et al., 1999, Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 14, 506-518). These experiments were designed to test if activin or BMPs accounted for the CGRP-inductive activity by skin cells. To identify factors from skin that induce CGRP, we developed a bioassay in which embryonic DRG neurons isolated before peripheral target contact in vivo are challenged in vitro with specific factors. Conditioned medium from an embryonic rat skin cell line induced neuronal CGRP expression, and induction was blocked by follistatin, implicating transforming growth factor β family members. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the skin cell line medium contained several activin and bone morphogenetic protein moieties. Antibody specific to activin neutralized most of the CGRP-inductive activity in skin conditioned medium. These data indicate that the CGRP-inductive action of skin cells involves activin and establish activin as a candidate regulator of this sensory neuropeptide phenotype during development. © 2000 Academic Press.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS