EXPRESSION OF MESSENGER-RNAS OF MULTIPLE GROWTH-FACTORS AND RECEPTORSBY ASTROCYTES AND GLIOMA-CELLS - DETECTION WITH REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION-POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION
A. Zaheer et al., EXPRESSION OF MESSENGER-RNAS OF MULTIPLE GROWTH-FACTORS AND RECEPTORSBY ASTROCYTES AND GLIOMA-CELLS - DETECTION WITH REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION-POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION, Cellular and molecular neurobiology, 15(2), 1995, pp. 221-237
1. Although glial cells in culture are known to secrete growth factors
and are also known to be responsive to some of them, detailed compari
sons are difficult because the bulk of information was based on variou
s animals of origin, developmental stages, growth properties, culture
age, and culture conditions. 2. To present a unified picture of the gr
owth factors and their receptors found in glial cells, we surveyed the
expression of messenger RNAs of a panel of growth factors and recepto
rs, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in
three common glial cell types: rat astrocytes in primary culture, rat
glioma line C6, and human glioma line A172. 3. We observed that norma
l and neoplastic glial cells in culture express multiple growth factor
s and also possess most of the receptors to these factors, suggesting
multiple autocrine functions, In addition, glia produce growth factors
known to be capable of acting on neurons, implicating paracrine funct
ion involving glia-neuron interaction. Glial cells also produce growth
factors and receptors that are capable of communicating with hematopo
ietic cells, suggesting neuroimmunologic interaction. What is most int
eresting is that glial cells express receptors for growth factors prev
iously thought to be acting on neurons only. 4. The current study demo
nstrates the feasibility of screening from a small sample a large numb
er of growth factors and receptors. The method portends future clinica
l application to biopsy or necropsy samples from brain tumors or patho
logic brains suffering from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's
or Parkinson's disease.