Induction of neuronal differentiation in PC12 cells by B-cell stimulatory factor 2/interleukin 6.

• DOI: 10.1128/mcb.8.8.3546
• Publication Date: 2015-09-30T19:47:48Z
• Authors: T Satoh; S Nakamura; T Taga; T Matsuda; T Hirano; T Kishimoto; Y Kaziro
• Keywords: Neurons; 0301 basic medicine; Transcription, Genetic; Interleukin-6; Interleukins; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms; Cell Differentiation; Oncogenes; Pheochromocytoma; Cell Line; Kinetics; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; RNA, Messenger

B-cell stimulatory factor 2 (BSF-2) is a lymphokine which induces the final maturation of B cells. BSF-2 acts on a variety of cells other than B cells, and moreover, expression of BSF-2 mRNA is detected in interleukin-1 beta-stimulated glioblastoma and astrocytoma cell lines. Here, we studied the function of BSF-2 on pheochromocytoma PC12 cells, a model system for induction of neuronal differentiation. PC12 cells possess specific receptors for BSF-2. The BSF-2-stimulated PC12 cells expressed the c-fos proto-oncogene transiently, and they began to change morphologically to neurite-extending cells after several days. The number of voltage-dependent Na+ channels was also increased.