NERVE GROWTH-FACTOR STIMULATES RAPID METABOLIC RESPONSES IN PC12 CELLS

Research into the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) has involved st udy of either the signal transduction process or the morphological res ult of growth factor treatment (cell proliferation and/or differentiat ion). The Cytosensor Microphysiometer, a silicon-based biosensor syste m that allows the continuous and real-time monitoring of extracellular acidification rate changes of cells, was used to study the response o f PC12 cells to NGF. Stimulation resulted in a rapid increase in the a cidification rate of cells in a concentration-dependent fashion (0.1-2 00 ng/ml NGF; mean effective concentration value of 153 +/- pM). Inhib ition of the NGF receptor-linked protein tyrosine kinase by either gen istein or K252a attenuated the acidification rate response to NGF. In addition, the acidification response to NGF could be modified by inhib iting Na+/H+ exchange and, separately, glycolysis. This implicates the se processes in the metabolic response of PC12 cells to NGF stimulatio n.