SYNTHETIC PEPTIDE CORRESPONDING TO 30 AMINO-ACIDS OF THE C-TERMINAL OF NEURON-SPECIFIC ENOLASE PROMOTES SURVIVAL OF NEOCORTICAL NEURONS IN CULTURE

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE), one of the glycolytic enzymes, is a gam ma gamma-isozyme of enolase that is specifically expressed in neurons. Our previous studies demonstrated that NSE promotes survival of rat e mbryonic neocortical neurons in culture but that the alpha alpha-isozy me (nonneuronal enolase; NNE) has no effect. In this study, we found t hat a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal portion of NSE (404-433) also promotes the survival of neocortical neurons. By contr ast, a synthetic peptide of the C-terminal portion of NNE (404-433) ha s no effect on neuronal survival. These findings would be important fo r further analysis of the neurotrophic mechanism of NSE. (C) 1994 Acad emic Press, Inc.