Dual control of neurite outgrowth by STAT3 and MAP kinase in PC12 cells stimulated with interleukin-6. Sayoko Ihara,1 Koichi Nakajima,2 Toshiyuki Fukada,2 Masahiko Hibi, Satoshi Nagata, Toshio Hirano, and Yasuhisa Fukui. EMBO J. 17: 5345-5352, 1997

IL-6 induces differentiation of PC12 cells pre-treated with nerve growth factor (NGF). We explored the signals required for neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells by using a series of mutants of a chimeric receptor consisting of the extracellular domain of the G-CSF receptor and the cytoplasmic domain of gp130, a signal-transducing subunit of the IL-6 receptor. The mutants incapable of activating the MAP kinase cascade failed to induce neurite outgrowth. Consistently, both dominant-negative Ras and a MEK inhibitor, PD98059, inhibited neurite outgrowth, showing that activation of the MAP kinase cascade is essential for the differentiation of PC12 cells. In contrast, a mutation that abolished the ability to activate STAT3 did not inhibit, but rather stimulated neurite outgrowth. This mutant did not require NGF initiation for neurite outgrowth. Dominant-negative STAT3s mimicked NGF initiation, and NGF suppressed the IL-6-induced activation of STAT3, supporting the idea that STAT3 might regulate the differentiation of PC12 cells negatively. These results suggest that neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells is regulated by the balance of MAP kinase and STAT3 signal transduction pathways, and that STAT3 activity can be regulated negatively by NGF.

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