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Cell type-dependent Erk-Akt pathway crosstalk regulates the proliferation of fetal neural progenitor cells.

ABSTRACT: Neural progenitor (NP) cells are the multipotent cells that produce neurons and glia in the central nervous system. Compounds regulating their proliferation are key to both understanding brain development and unlocking their potential in regenerative repair. We discuss a chemical screen that unexpectedly identified inhibitors of Erk signaling potently promoting the self-renewing divisions of fetal NP cells. This occurred through crosstalk between Erk and Akt signaling cascades. The crosstalk mechanism is cell type-specific, and is not detected in adult NP cells as well as brain tumor cells. The mechanism was also shown to be independent from the GSK-3 signaling pathway, which has been reported to be a major regulator of NP cell homeostasis and inhibitors to which were also identified in the screen. In vitro Erk inhibition led to the prolonged rapid expansion of fetal NP cells while retaining their multipotency. In vivo inhibitor administration significantly inhibited the neuronal differentiation, and resulted in increased proliferative progenitor cells in the ventricular/subventricular zone (VZ/SVZ) of the embryonic cortex. Our results uncovered a novel regulating pathway for NP cell proliferation in the developing brain. The discovery provides a pharmacological basis for in vitro expansion and in vivo manipulation of NP cells.

SUBMITTER: Rhim JH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4876380 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cell type-dependent Erk-Akt pathway crosstalk regulates the proliferation of fetal neural progenitor cells.

Rhim Ji Heon JH Luo Xiangjian X Gao Dongbing D Xu Xiaoyun X Zhou Tieling T Li Fuhai F Wang Ping P Wong Stephen T C ST Xia Xiaofeng X

Scientific reports 20160523

Neural progenitor (NP) cells are the multipotent cells that produce neurons and glia in the central nervous system. Compounds regulating their proliferation are key to both understanding brain development and unlocking their potential in regenerative repair. We discuss a chemical screen that unexpectedly identified inhibitors of Erk signaling potently promoting the self-renewing divisions of fetal NP cells. This occurred through crosstalk between Erk and Akt signaling cascades. The crosstalk mec ...[more]

PMID: 27211495

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Project description:Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a hypoxia-induced angiogenic protein that exhibits a broad range of neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system. Given that neurogenesis occurs in close proximity to blood vessels, increasing evidence has suggested that VEGF may constitute an important link between neurogenesis and angiogenesis. Although it is known that VEGF can directly stimulate the proliferation of neuronal progenitors, the underlying signaling pathways responsible in this process are not fully understood. Thus, in the present study, we set out to examine the requirement of two downstream targets of the VEGF/Flk-1 signaling network, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways, in producing the mitogenic effects of VEGF. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that a single treatment of VEGF activated Erk1/2 and Akt signaling pathways in the adult rat hippocampus and in cultured hippocampal neuronal progenitor cells. This effect was blocked with the VEGF/Flk-1 inhibitor SU5416. Importantly, microinfusion of VEGF into the rat brain also induced pCREB expression in the dentate gyrus and increased the number of BrdU-labeled cells in the dentate subgranular zone. Double immunofluorescence labeling revealed that a large proportion of BrdU-labeled cells expressed activated forms of Flk-1, Erk1/2, and Akt. Interestingly, treatment with the SSRI fluoxetine, which is well known to stimulate neurogenesis and VEGF-signaling, also produced a similar expression pattern of Erk1/2 and Akt in proliferating cells. Finally, pharmacological experiments showed that administration of inhibitors of either MAPK/ERK (U0126) or PI3K (LY294002) blocked VEGF-stimulation of hippocampal cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the proliferative actions of VEGF require activation of both ERK and Akt signaling cascades and that these intracellular pathways are stimulated almost exclusively in actively proliferating neuronal progenitor cells of the adult hippocampus.

Project description:BackgroundGlioblastomas are lethal brain tumors under the current combinatorial therapeutic strategy that includes surgery, chemo- and radio-therapies. Extensive changes in the tumor microenvironment is a key reason for resistance to chemo- or radio-therapy and frequent tumor recurrences. Understanding the tumor-nontumor cell interaction in TME is critical for developing new therapy. Glioblastomas are known to recruit normal cells in their environs to sustain growth and encroachment into other regions. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) have been noted to migrate towards the site of glioblastomas, however, the detailed mechanisms underlying glioblastoma-mediated NPCs' alteration remain unkown.MethodsWe collected EVs in the culture medium of three classic glioblastoma cell lines, U87 and A172 (male cell lines), and LN229 (female cell line). U87, A172, and LN229 were co-cultured with their corresponding EVs, respectively. Mouse NPCs (mNPCs) were co-cultured with glioblastoma-derived EVs. The proliferation and migration of tumor cells and mNPCs after EVs treatment were examined. Proteomic analysis and western blotting were utilized to identify the underlying mechanisms of glioblastoma-derived EVs-induced alterations in mNPCs.ResultsWe first show that glioblastoma cell lines U87-, A172-, and LN229-derived EVs were essential for glioblastoma cell prolifeartion and migration. We then demonstrated that glioblastoma-derived EVs dramatically promoted NPC proliferation and migration. Mechanistic studies identify that glioblastoma-derived EVs achieve their functions via activating PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway in mNPCs. Inhibiting PI3K-Akt pathway reversed the elevated prolfieration and migration of glioblastoma-derived EVs-treated mNPCs.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that EVs play a key role in intercellular communication in tumor microenvironment. Inhibition of the tumorgenic EVs-mediated PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway activation might be a novel strategy to shed light on glioblastoma therapy. Video Abstract.

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Cell type-dependent Erk-Akt pathway crosstalk regulates the proliferation of fetal neural progenitor cells.

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Cell type-dependent Erk-Akt pathway crosstalk regulates the proliferation of fetal neural progenitor cells.

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