IDENTIFICATION OF GENES PREFERENTIALLY INDUCED BY NERVE GROWTH-FACTORVERSUS EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR IN PC12 PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA CELLS BY MEANS OF REPRESENTATIONAL DIFFERENCE ANALYSIS

Neurotrophins induce neuronal differentiation by binding to a subclass of ligand-stimulated protein tyrosine kinase receptors and activating signal transduction pathways that mediate altered patterns of gene ex pression, Nerve growth factor (NGF) induced differentiation of PC12 ph eochromocytoma cells is one of the major model systems used to study n euronal differentiation in response to neurotrophins, Although epiderm al growth factor (EGF) does not induce PC12 cell differentiation, NGF and EGF activate many of the same signal transduction pathways and ind uce transcription of many of the same genes in PC12 cells, We have now employed cDNA representational difference analysis to identify four g enes (activity-regulated cytoskeletal protein, collagenase 1, plasmino gen activator inhibitor-1, and VH6/MKP-3) as genes preferentially indu ced withing 4 hours by NGF in PC12 cells. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.