I. Shinoda et al., STIMULATION BY BOVINE LACTOFERRIN OF NERVE GROWTH-FACTOR SYNTHESIS SECRETION IN MOUSE L-M CELLS, Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry, 57(6), 1993, pp. 890-893
Cultured mouse fibroblasts synthesize and secrete nerve growth factor
(NGF). To learn the mechanism of action of an iron-binding protein, la
ctoferrin (Lf), on cultured animal cells, we have examined the effects
of bovine Lf (bLf) on NGF synthesis/secretion in mouse L-M cells, a l
ine derived from L929 fibroblast cells. Both apo- and holo-bLf induced
an increase in NGF content in the cell-conditioned medium (CM) with s
imilar effectiveness. Neither apo- nor holo- bovine transferrin (bTf)
was effective, indicating that the observed induction of NGF productio
n cannot be attributed to stimulation of iron transport. A basic pepti
de fragment of bLf (residues 17-41) isolated from a pepsin hydrolyzate
of bLf was found to be effective for stimulation of NGF synthesis/sec
retion in L-M cells. This observation demonstrates that the basic natu
re of Lf is important for its interaction with fibroblast cells.