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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 1998, 18(24):10429-10437
Neurite Outgrowth Stimulated by Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules
Requires Growth-Associated Protein-43 (GAP-43) Function and Is
Associated with GAP-43 Phosphorylation in Growth Cones
Karina F.
Meiri1,
Jane
L.
Saffell2,
Frank S.
Walsh2, and
Patrick
Doherty2
1 Department of Pharmacology, State University of New
York Health Science Center, Syracuse, New York 13210, and
2 Department of Experimental Pathology, Guy's Hospital
Medical School, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
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ABSTRACT |
The mechanisms whereby cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) promote
axonal growth and synaptic plasticity are poorly understood. Here we
show that the neurite outgrowth stimulated by NCAM-mediated fibroblast
growth factor (FGF) receptor activation in cerebellar granule cells is
associated with increased GAP-43 phosphorylation on serine-41. In
contrast, neither NCAM nor FGF was able to stimulate neurite outgrowth
in similar neurons from mice in which the GAP-43 gene had been deleted
by homologous recombination. Integrin-mediated neurite outgrowth was
unaffected by GAP-43 deletion. Both neurite outgrowth and rapid
phosphorylation of GAP-43 in isolated growth cones required the first
three Ig domains of a NCAM-Fc chimera and were stimulated
maximally at 5 µg/ml (~50 nM). Likewise, GAP-43 phosphorylation in isolated growth cones also was stimulated by an
L1-Fc chimera. Both neurite outgrowth and NCAM-stimulated GAP-43 phosphorylation were inhibited by antibodies to the FGF receptor and a
diacylglycerol lipase inhibitor (RHC80267) that blocks the production of arachidonic acid in response to activation of the FGF
receptor. Direct activation of the FGF receptor and the arachidonic acid cascade with either basic FGF or melittin also resulted in increased GAP-43 phosphorylation. These data suggest that the stimulation of neurite outgrowth by NCAM requires GAP-43 function and
that GAP-43 phosphorylation in isolated growth cones occurs via an FGF
receptor-dependent increase in arachidonic acid.
Key words:
GAP-43; NCAM; FGF receptor; growth cone; neurite
outgrowth; knock-out mouse
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INTRODUCTION |
Growth cones navigate through
embryos by responding to specific guidance cues, many of which belong
to highly conserved families (for review, see Tessier-Lavigne and
Goodman, 1996 ; Walsh and Doherty, 1997 ). Recent experiments have
demonstrated a function for the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily of cell
adhesion molecules (CAMs) in axonal pathfinding (Cohen et al., 1997 ;
Cremer et al., 1997 ; Dahme et al., 1997 ; Fazeli et al., 1997 ), which
shows that they function as growth cone receptors for growth and/or
guidance cues (Lagenauer and Lemmon, 1987 ; Doherty et al., 1990 ;
Keino-Masu et al., 1996 ; de la Torre et al., 1997 ). CAMs also function
in synaptic plasticity associated with learning and memory in the adult
(see Muller et al., 1996 ; Schuster et al., 1996a ,b ) (for review,
see Martin and Kandel, 1996 ; Walsh and Doherty, 1997 ).
Recent evidence shows that axonal growth responses stimulated by a
number of CAMs involve the stimulation of signaling cascades (Doherty
et al., 1995b ; Saffell et al., 1997 ). Thus in some circumstances CAMs activate neuronal fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors (Williams et al., 1994d ; Saffell et al., 1997 ), resulting in the sequential stimulation of phospholipase C- (PLC ) and
diacylglycerol (DAG) lipase to generate arachidonic acid (for review,
see Doherty and Walsh, 1994 ). The mechanisms whereby CAM-induced
activation of a signaling cascade modulates neurite outgrowth and
synaptic plasticity are not known. GAP-43 has been implicated in axon
growth and growth cone guidance (Skene, 1989 ) and in the synaptic
plasticity that is associated with learning and memory (Fagnou and
Tuchek, 1995 ; Benowitz and Routtenberg, 1997 ). GAP-43 knock-out mice
display errors in axonal pathfinding (Strittmatter et al., 1995 ),
whereas overexpressing GAP-43 causes ectopic axon sprouting in
transgenic mice (Aigner et al., 1995 ). GAP-43 is enriched at the
interface between receptors and cytoskeleton, and its phosphorylation
state influences cytoskeletal dynamics, including actin polymerization (Meiri and Gordon-Weeks, 1990 ; Moss et al., 1990 ; Dent and Meiri, 1992a ,b , 1998 ; Aigner and Caroni, 1993 ; He et al., 1997 ). GAP-43 phosphorylation can be stimulated by arachidonic acid in neurites (Dent
and Meiri, 1992b ), synaptosomal membranes (Schaechter and Benowitz,
1993 ), and hippocampal slices (Luo and Vallano, 1995 ). Thus it is a
candidate to link CAM-activated signal transduction and the
cytoskeleton; however, its regulation by arachidonic acid in growth
cones has not been investigated.
Here we show that cerebellar granule cells from GAP-43 knock-out mice
are unable to respond to either NCAM or FGF in a neurite outgrowth
assay. Furthermore, stimulation of neurite outgrowth, either on cells
expressing transfected NCAM or by soluble NCAM chimeras, is accompanied
by increased phosphorylation of GAP-43 in neurites and in isolated
growth cones. Both maximal neurite outgrowth and maximal GAP-43
phosphorylation required the first three Ig domains of NCAM. The
phosphorylation response to NCAM is mimicked by basic FGF and L1 as
well as melittin (which stimulates arachidonic acid production).
Finally, NCAM-stimulated GAP-43 phosphorylation is inhibited by FGF
receptor antibodies and the DAG lipase inhibitor (RHC80267) that
inhibits the FGF receptor-dependent production of arachidonic acid
(Williams et al., 1995b ; Hou et al., 1997 ). Our results show that
GAP-43 function is essential for NCAM-stimulated neurite outgrowth and
that much of this appears because of the phosphorylation of GAP-43 via
the FGF receptor-dependent stimulation of arachidonic acid.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Cell culture. Cocultures of cerebellar neurons on 3T3
monolayers were established as previously described (Doherty et al., 1990 , 1995a ). In brief, 80,000 3T3 cells in DMEM/10% FCS were plated
into individual chambers of an eight-chamber tissue culture slide
coated with poly-L-lysine and fibronectin. After 24 hr to allow for monolayer formation, the medium was removed and 3000 cerebellar neurons taken from postnatal day 2-6 (P2-P6) mice were plated into each well in SATO media (Doherty et al., 1990 )
supplemented with 2% FCS. Test reagents were added as indicated in the
text, and the cocultures were maintained for 26 hr, whereafter they were fixed and stained for GAP-43 immunoreactivity. The mean length of
the longest neurite per cell was measured for 150-200 neurons in each
population, as previously described (see Doherty et al., 1995a ).
Preparation of CAM-Fc chimeras. Production of both NCAM and
L1 chimeras has been described previously (Doherty et al., 1995a ). To
create the panel of NCAM-Fc deletion chimeras, we inserted extracellular domain portions of human NCAM cDNA (Gower et al., 1988 )
into the PIg vector (Fawcett et al., 1992 ), using a cloning strategy
similar to that used in the production of the L1-Fc chimera (Doherty et
al., 1995a ). As well as the whole extracellular domain of the five
immunoglobulin domains (Ig) and the two fibronectin type III repeats
(FNIII), portions of the extracellular domain progressively deleted
from the C terminus by PCR were inserted into PIg to produce truncated
NCAM-Fc chimeras. Truncation at amino acid (aa) 107 gave Ig1 alone,
truncation at aa 212 gave Ig1-2, truncation at aa 304 gave Ig1-3,
truncation at aa 405 gave Ig1-4, truncation at aa 534 gave Ig1-5,
truncation at aa 598 gave Ig1-5 plus FNIII 1, and finally, truncation
at aa 692 gave Ig1-5 plus FNIII 1 and 2. Exon boundaries for human
NCAM were derived from Owens et al. (1987) . Soluble NCAM-Fc chimeras
were harvested from the culture medium of COS-7 cells transiently
transfected with plasmid DNA and were purified by binding to protein
A-Sepharose beads.
Preparation of isolated growth cones. Isolated growth cones
were prepared from P1-P2.5 (day of birth is P0) mouse forebrains as
described previously (Gordon-Weeks, 1987 ), with the following modifications: centrifugation of the discontinuous Ficoll gradient was
at a speed of 30,400 × g for 20 min with the use of a
SW 40.1 rotor. Material banding at the interface between the sample and the 7% Ficoll solution was diluted 1:5 by adding Krebs's solution dropwise while stirring over ice [Krebs's solution contains (in mM) 145 NaCl, 5 KCl, 1.2 CaCl2, 1.3 MgCl2, 1.2 NaH2PO4,
10 dextrose, and 20 HEPES, pH 7.4]. The resultant suspension was
centrifuged at 15,000 × g for 50 min at 4°C, and the
resultant pellet was resuspended in Krebs's solution at a
concentration of 2 mg/ml.
Stimulation of phosphorylation of IGC proteins. Freshly
prepared IGCs in Krebs's buffer were incubated for 15 min at 37°C with specific solutions of either NCAMs, L1, or FGF. Then the reaction
was stopped by dropping the microfuge tubes into liquid nitrogen, and
samples were stored at 20°C until used further. In other
experiments in which the inhibition of GAP-43 phosphorylation was
studied, freshly prepared IGCs were incubated first for 30 min at
37°C with specific inhibitors of the FGF-receptor-PLC pathway
before stimulation of phosphorylation with NCAM, L1, or FGF for 30 min
at 37°C, as before.
Electrophoresis, Western blotting, and dot blotting.
One-dimensional analysis of proteins used 10% SDS gels. Western
blotting was performed exactly as described previously (Meiri and
Burdick, 1991 ). Proteins were transferred onto polyvinyl difluoride
Immobilon-P paper, and immunoreactivity was detected with 2G12
antibody, followed by peroxidase-labeled anti-mouse IgG.
Immunoreactivity was visualized with chemiluminescence, using Pierce
(Rockford, IL). To quantify phosphorylation of GAP-43 on dot blots, we
solubilized aliquots of IGCs with 0.01 M NaOH and sonicated
and dotted the aliquots onto Immobilon membrane. Duplicated samples
were probed with the monoclonal antibodies 2G12 and 7B10, as described
previously (Meiri and Burdick, 1991 ). In this case specific
immunoreactivity was visualized by the binding of
125I-conjugated sheep anti-mouse IgG (specific activity, 18 µCi/µg), followed by a phosphorimager analysis of the dot blot
images, using a Molecular Dynamics Storm 840 PhosphorImager (Sunnyvale, CA). Quantitation of antibody binding was done with Imagequant analysis
software, and specific phosphorylation on ser41 was calculated as a
percentage of the 2G12 immunoreactivity as compared with total GAP-43
phosphorylation detected with 7B10.
Targeting vector and generation of GAP-43 mutant mice.
GAP-43 knock-out mice were created by using conventional gene
targeting with a replacement-type targeting vector consisting of a 9.0 kb 129/sv mouse genomic fragment, in which 476 bp of the GAP-43 gene (from intron 1 and nucleotides 133-171 from the cDNA) were replaced with the pPGKneobpA cassette used as a positive selection marker. The
pGK-thymidine kinase cassette was introduced as a negative selection
marker. Electroporation and selection were performed with the CJ7
embryonic stem (ES) cell line (129/sv). Genomic DNA derived from
313 G418/FIAU-resistant ES cell clones was screened by using Southern
blot analysis after diagnostic restriction enzyme digestion.
Recombinant clones containing the expected gene replacements were
obtained at a frequency of 1:156. The heterozygote GAP-43 recombinant
ES clones injected into C57Bl/6 blastocysts generated chimeras that
transmitted the mutated allele to the progeny when mated to C57Bl/6 or
129/sv females. The breeding of two GAP-43 +/ mice gave rise to
homozygous mutant mice at a frequency of 25%. Mutant mice produced
neither GAP-43 RNA nor protein. Homozygous progeny are born normally,
but ~50% die within the first 2 d of postnatal life (PN). Most
of the remainder fail to develop past weaning and die between 14 and
21 d PN. A very small percentage (5%) survives past weaning. Two
strains of mice were used for these experiments: the A129/sv strain in
which the knock-out first was generated and the progeny of a seventh
generation back-crossed into C57Bl/6. There were no differences in the
phenotype between the two strains.
Other reagents. The polyclonal anti-NCAM antibody (A5)
raised against NCAM purified from rat brain and the anti-FGF receptor antiserum raised against the 31-mer CAM homology domain peptide were
produced in the Doherty lab and used at 1:200 (see Williams et al.,
1994c ). The monoclonal anti GAP-43 antibodies 2G12 and 7B10 have been
described previously (Meiri et al., 1991 ) and were used as tissue
culture supernatant at 1:5. Iodinated anti-mouse IgG secondary antibody
(specific activity, 750-3000 Ci/mmol) was obtained from Amersham. The
polyclonal anti-L1 antiserum raised against a fusion protein containing
L1 fibronectin domains was a generous gift of Elizabeth Bock
(Copenhagen, Denmark) and was used at 1:200. RHC80267 was obtained from
Biomol Research Labs (Plymouth Meeting, PA) and was used at 10 µg/ml.
Melittin (0.01 M) was purchased from Calbiochem (La Jolla, CA).
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RESULTS |
GAP-43 function is required for NCAM stimulation of
neurite outgrowth
Mice in which GAP-43 expression is prevented by homologous
recombination are able to extend axons in vivo and in
vitro; however, errors in pathfinding occur (Strittmatter et al.,
1995 ). We tested cerebellar neurons from GAP-43 knock-out mice for
their ability to respond to NCAM and FGF by comparing their growth on a
monolayer substrate of 3T3 cells with monolayers of 3T3 cells
expressing physiological levels of human NCAM, using conditions under
which NCAM can stimulate neurite outgrowth from wild-type neurons
(Doherty et al., 1990 ; Williams et al., 1994c ). The results are
summarized in Figure 1. After 26 hr of
culture the mean length of the longest neurite extending from wild-type
neurons on NCAM monolayers was 47.4 ± 2.52 µm
(n = 274 neurites from four independent experiments). This was significantly greater than the value measured for similar neurons cultured on control 3T3 monolayers (23.6 ± 1.2 µm;
n = 290 neurites from four independent experiments).
Likewise, after 16 hr of culture in the presence of 10 ng/ml FGF2, the
mean length of the longest neurite extending from wild-type neurons on
NCAM monolayers was 48.2 ± 3.56 µm (n = 177 neurites from two independent experiments). In contrast, neurons
isolated from the GAP-43 knock-out mice extended neurites as normal on
3T3 monolayers (23.66 ± 1.2 µm; n = 394 neurites from four independent experiments) but showed no significant
increase in length on the NCAM-expressing monolayers (24 ± 1.3 µm; n = 379 neurites from four independent
experiments). Moreover, when neurons isolated from the GAP-43 knock-out
mice were cultured on 3T3 monolayers in the presence of 10 ng/ml FGF2, they too showed no significant increase in length as compared with
controls (33.66 ± 1.6 µm; n = 300 neurites from
two independent experiments). These data show that GAP-43 function is
required for the neurite outgrowth response stimulated by NCAM and FGF, but not for neurite outgrowth over control 3T3 cells, which is integrin-mediated (Williams et al., 1994b ). The latter result is in
accord with previous studies that have shown that GAP-43 function is
not required for integrin-mediated neurite outgrowth over laminin
(Strittmatter et al., 1995 ).

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Figure 1.
NCAM stimulation of neurite outgrowth is inhibited
in GAP-43 knock-out mice. Cerebellar neurons from either wild-type
(black bars 1-3) or GAP-43 knock-out (white bars
4-6) mice were cultured at low density on confluent 3T3
monolayers either alone (1, 4) or
in the presence of 10 ng/ml FGF2 (3,
6). Alternatively, cells were grown on
NCAM-expressing 3T3 monolayers (2, 5).
After 26 hr the cocultures were fixed and stained with a TuJ-1 antibody
to visualize neurons for a measurement of the mean length of the
longest neurite per cell. The results are combined from four
independent experiments and are expressed as mean neurite length ± SEM. Between 200 and 400 neurons were analyzed in each
population.
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NCAM stimulates increased steady-state levels of GAP-43
phosphorylation in cerebellar granule cell neurites and growth
cones
The phosphorylation status of GAP-43 on serine-41 [the protein
kinase C (PKC) site] directly correlates with growth cone function: increased phosphorylation of serine-41 occurs in actively translocating growth cones, whereas collapsing growth cones contain the
dephosphorylated form (Dent and Meiri, 1998 ). GAP-43 phosphorylation
can be induced by contact between growth cones and other cells as well
as by growth and guidance cues such as nerve growth factor (NGF; Meiri and Burdick, 1991 ; Dent and Meiri, 1992a ,b , 1998 ). To determine whether
NCAM signaling also might influence GAP-43 phosphorylation, we cultured
P3-P6 mouse cerebellar granule cells at low density on confluent
monolayers of either the NCAM-expressing 3T3 cells or control 3T3
cells. After 26 hr the cultures were fixed and incubated with the
monoclonal antibody 2G12 that specifically binds to GAP-43 only when
serine-41 is phosphorylated, together with a polyclonal anti-NCAM
antibody (Meiri et al., 1991 ) (see Materials and Methods). Neurons
growing on NCAM-expressing 3T3 cells expressed the phosphorylated
epitope of GAP-43 throughout the whole neuron; however, this epitope
was barely detectable on neurons growing on control 3T3 cells at this
stage of culture (Fig. 2). The results
suggest that NCAM is able to induce stable increases in the
phosphorylation of GAP-43 in both neurites and growth cones.

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Figure 2.
NCAM stimulates increased steady-state levels of
phosphorylated GAP-43. Cerebellar neurons were cultured at low density
on confluent NCAM-expressing 3T3 cells (a,
b) or on 3T3 cells alone (c,
d). After 16 hr the cocultures were fixed and stained
with the monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2G12, which visualizes GAP-43
phosphorylated on serine-41, the PKC site, followed by fluoresceinated
secondary antibody. Higher labeling indicates increased levels of
phosphorylated GAP-43 in cells cultured on NCAM-expressing monolayers.
Scale bar, 50 µm.
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An NCAM-Fc chimera stimulates neurite outgrowth and phosphorylation
of GAP-43 in isolated growth cones
We have shown previously that Fc chimeras containing the
extracellular domains of NCAM and L1 are as effective as cell-expressed CAMs at stimulating neurite outgrowth (Doherty et al., 1995a ; Saffell et al., 1997 ). Here we quantified the neurite outgrowth response to show that a concentration of 1 µg/ml (~10
nM) of NCAM-Fc significantly increased neurite length,
whereas a maximal response was obtained at 5 µg/ml (Fig.
3a). Neurite outgrowth
stimulated by the NCAM-Fc chimera could be blocked fully by an antibody
that binds to mouse NCAM, whereas it was unaffected by an antibody against L1 (Table 1). Significantly,
neurite outgrowth stimulated by the NCAM chimera also was inhibited by
an antibody that blocks neuronal FGF receptor function (Table 1). This
result is in accord with our previous finding that NCAM stimulation of
neurite outgrowth also is prevented by the expression of a
dominant-negative FGF receptor in neurons (Saffell et al., 1997 ) and
supports the hypothesis that homophilic CAM binding triggers neurite
outgrowth by activation of the FGF receptor signal transduction
cascade. We used a deletion panel of NCAM-Fc constructs to demonstrate
that the first three Ig domains of NCAM are as effective as the whole
molecule at stimulating neurite outgrowth (Fig. 3b). This
too is in accord with the observation that the third Ig domain contains
an important homophilic adhesion site (Rao et al., 1994 ; Ranheim et
al., 1996 ).

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Figure 3.
A, Soluble NCAM-Fc stimulates
neurite outgrowth. Cerebellar neurons were cultured at low density on
confluent 3T3 monolayers in the presence of 0, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5, and
10 µg/ml NCAM-Fc. After 16 hr the cocultures were fixed and stained
with a GAP-43 antibody to visualize neurons for a measurement of the
mean length of the longest neurite per cell. The results of a single
representative experiment are shown and expressed as the mean neurite
length (in micrometers) ± SEM for 150-200 neurons analyzed in each
population. B, Maximal outgrowth is elicited by the
first three immunoglobulin-like (Ig) domains of NCAM. Cerebellar
neurons were cultured on 3T3 monolayers in the absence
(C) or the presence of Fc chimeras containing
NCAM Ig domain 1 only (1), Ig domains 1-2
(2), Ig domains 1-3 (3),
Ig domains 1-4 (4), Ig domains 1-5
(5), Ig domains 1-5 plus the fibronectin type
III-like domain 1 (5+1), or full-length NCAM
(5+2). All NCAM-Fc chimeras were used at 5 µg/ml.
After 16 hr the cocultures were fixed and stained for a determination
of mean neurite length (see Fig. 1 legend). The results show the mean
neurite length (in micrometers) ± SEM pooled from three independent
experiments with the whole panel of domain-deleted NCAM-Fc
chimeras.
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Table 1.
Function-blocking antibodies to neuronal NCAM and FGFRs
inhibit neurite outgrowth stimulated by soluble NCAM-Fc
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To quantify the ability of NCAM-Fc chimeras to stimulate increases in
GAP-43 phosphorylation, we used a subcellular fraction of intact growth
cones isolated from neonatal mouse brain (IGCs; Meiri and Burdick,
1991 ). As demonstrated previously, the monoclonal antibody 2G12
specifically binds to GAP-43 only when serine-41, the PKC site, is
phosphorylated, whereas monoclonal antibody 7B10 shows no such
constraints. Because these two antibodies interact with similar
affinities to independent epitopes, the relative ratio of their binding
can be used to determine the "specific activity" of the
phosphorylation status of GAP-43 on serine-41 (Meiri and Burdick, 1991 ;
He et al., 1997 ) (see Materials and Methods for details). In results
that closely paralleled those obtained for axon outgrowth, the soluble
NCAM-Fc chimera caused a significant increase in GAP-43 phosphorylation
(Fig. 4a). Phosphorylation occurred at a concentration of 1 µg/ml, with the maximal response occurring at 5 µg/ml (Fig. 4b). Thus, the steady-state
level of phosphorylated GAP-43 increased from a basal value of
43.5 ± 2.2% to 95.3 ± 3.9% of total GAP-43 phosphorylated
(mean ± SEM; n = 10; p < 0.0001). Likewise, to establish whether the three Ig domain chimera
also is required to induce GAP-43 phosphorylation, we incubated IGCs
with 5 µg/ml of the same deletion chimeras that were used in the
neurite outgrowth studies (see Fig. 3b). The results in
Figure 4b show that a single Ig domain had little effect on
GAP-43 phosphorylation (48.75 ± 3.8% vs 41.08 ± 2.2% of
the total was phosphorylated). However, a significant increase in phosphorylation to 55.94 ± 1.36% was seen when the growth cones were incubated with the Fc chimera containing the first two Ig domains
of NCAM (p < 0.001; n = 6). The
three Ig domain NCAM chimera increased phosphorylation to 88.37 ± 1.49%, a value that was not significantly different from the levels
obtained when the growth cones were incubated with the full-length
NCAM-Fc chimera (five Ig plus two fibronectin domains). Thus there is a
clear correlation between the axonal growth-promoting ability of the
NCAM deletion mutants and their ability to phosphorylate GAP-43
(compare Figs. 3b, 4b).

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Figure 4.
A, Soluble NCAM-Fc stimulates
increases in phosphorylated GAP-43. IGCs prepared from P2 mice
forebrains were treated with 0, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 µg/ml
NCAM-Fc. After 15 min the samples were frozen quickly in liquid
nitrogen. Equal amounts of total protein (5 µg) were slot-blotted in
triplicate, and parallel blots were reacted with the mAb 2G12 to detect
phosphorylated GAP-43 or with 7B10 to detect total GAP-43.
Immunoreactivity was detected with an iodinated secondary antibody and
quantified by a phosphorimager. The results show the specific activity
of phosphorylated GAP-43 and are the mean of three independent
experiments ± SEM. B, Maximal phosphorylation of
GAP-43 is elicited by the first three immunoglobulin-like (Ig) domains
of NCAM. IGCs prepared from P2 mice forebrains were treated in the
absence (C) or presence of Fc chimeras containing
NCAM Ig domain 1 only (1), Ig domains 1-2
(2), Ig domains 1-3 (3),
Ig domains 1-4 (4), Ig domains 1-5
(5), Ig domains 1-5 plus fibronectin type
III-like domain 1 (5+1), or full-length NCAM
(5+2). All NCAM-Fc chimeras were used at 5 µg/ml.
After 15 min the samples were frozen quickly in liquid nitrogen. Equal
amounts of total protein (5 µg) were slot-blotted in triplicate, and
parallel blots were reacted with the mAb 2G12 to detect phosphorylated
GAP-43 or with 7B10 to detect total GAP-43. Immunoreactivity was
detected with an iodinated secondary antibody and quantified by a
phosphorimager. The results show the specific activity of
phosphorylated GAP-43 and are the mean of three independent
experiments ± SEM with the whole panel of domain-deleted NCAM-Fc
chimeras.
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FGF stimulates the phosphorylation of GAP-43 in isolated
growth cones
NCAM-stimulated neurite outgrowth can be accounted for by an
activation of the FGF receptor signal transduction cascade (see above
and introductory remarks). To determine whether activation of the FGF
receptor also could mimic NCAM-stimulated phosphorylation of GAP-43, we
incubated intact IGCs with FGF2. FGF2 also stimulated the
phosphorylation of GAP-43, with a maximal response (an increase from
41 ± 4% to 84.5 ± 1.9% of the total GAP-43 being
phosphorylated) (p < 0.0001; n = 6) seen after 15 min of treatment with 25 ng/ml FGF2 (Fig.
5a). Phosphorylation of GAP-43
was diminished at higher concentrations of FGF, resembling the similar
"biphasic" curves obtained when axonal growth responses were
stimulated by FGF (Williams et al., 1994a ). The ability of both NCAM
and FGF to stimulate GAP-43 phosphorylation in isolated growth cones
raises the question of whether other CAMS also can stimulate GAP-43
phosphorylation in the same way. To determine whether L1 also could
mimic NCAM-stimulated phosphorylation of GAP-43, we incubated intact
IGCs with L1-Fc. L1-Fc also stimulated the phosphorylation of GAP-43,
with a maximal response (an increase from 40.5 ± 5.5% to
93.1 ± 5% of total GAP-43 being phosphorylated)
(p < 0.001; n = 3) seen after
15 min of treatment with 1 ng/ml L1-Fc (Fig. 5b). The
activated FGF receptor stimulates arachidonic acid production in both
neurons and non-neuronal cells, and this requires the sequential
activity of PLC and DAG lipase. Likewise, GAP-43 phosphorylation can
be stimulated by arachidonic acid in neurites in culture, in
synaptosomal membranes, and in hippocampal slices (see introductory
remarks). Here we treated IGCs with melittin to stimulate arachidonic
acid production via the activation of PLA2. Melittin could mimic fully
the NCAM/FGF stimulation of GAP-43 phosphorylation in the isolated
growth cones so that 92.5 ± 3.5% of total GAP-43 was
phosphorylated in the presence of 0.01 µM melittin (Fig.
6). Higher concentrations of melittin
(0.1 µM) failed to increase phosphorylated GAP-43 above control levels (Fig. 6). This result is interesting in the context of
the fact that axonal growth responses stimulated by melittin are also
biphasic (Williams et al., 1994a ).

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Figure 5.
A, FGF2 stimulates increases in
phosphorylated GAP-43. IGCs prepared from postnatal day 2 (P2) mice
forebrains were treated with 0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 ng/ml FGF2.
After 15 min the samples were frozen quickly in liquid nitrogen. Equal
amounts of total protein (5 µg) were slot-blotted in triplicate, and
parallel blots were reacted with the mAb 2G12 to detect phosphorylated
GAP-43 or with 7B10 to detect total GAP-43. Immunoreactivity was
detected with an iodinated secondary antibody and quantified by a
phosphorimager. The results show the specific activity of
phosphorylated GAP-43 and are the mean of three independent
experiments ± SEM. B, Soluble L1-Fc stimulates
increases in phosphorylated GAP-43. IGCs prepared from P2 mice
forebrains were treated with 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 µg/ml L1-Fc. After 15 min the samples were frozen quickly in liquid nitrogen. Equal amounts
of total protein (5 µg) were slot-blotted in triplicate, and parallel
blots were reacted with the mAb 2G12 to detect phosphorylated GAP-43 or
with 7B10 to detect total GAP-43. Immunoreactivity was detected with an
iodinated secondary antibody and quantified by a phosphorimager. The
results show the specific activity of phosphorylated GAP-43 and are the
mean of two independent experiments ± SEM.
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Figure 6.
Melittin stimulation of increases in
phosphorylated GAP-43 is biphasic. IGCs prepared from P2 mice
forebrains were treated with 0, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 µM
melittin. After 15 min the samples were frozen quickly in liquid
nitrogen. Equal amounts of total protein (5 µg) were slot-blotted in
triplicate, and parallel blots were reacted with the mAb 2G12 to detect
phosphorylated GAP-43 or with 7B10 to detect total GAP-43.
Immunoreactivity was detected with an iodinated secondary antibody and
quantified by a phosphorimager. The results show the specific activity
of phosphorylated GAP-43 and are the mean of three independent
experiments ± SEM.
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FGF receptor function is required for NCAM-mediated phosphorylation
of GAP-43
Finally, we investigated whether the antibodies to the FGF
receptor that can inhibit NCAM-stimulated neurite outgrowth (Table 2) (Williams et al., 1994b ) also inhibit
the NCAM-stimulated phosphorylation of GAP-43 in IGCs. The results
presented in Table 2 show that preincubation of the growth cones with
the antibody 36.2/37.2, which binds to the CAM homology domain in the
FGF receptor, reduced the NCAM-Fc chimera-stimulated GAP-43
phosphorylation by ~70% (p < 0.0001;
n = 6). As expected, this antibody also inhibited the
response to FGF (Table 2). Likewise, FGF2-stimulated arachidonic acid
synthesis can be blocked by a DAG lipase inhibitor RHC80267 (Williams
et al., 1994b ; Hou et al., 1997 ), and this agent also inhibits the
neurite outgrowth response stimulated by NCAM (Williams et al., 1994b )
and FGF (Williams et al., 1994c ; Lom and Holt, 1997 ). In the present
study we found that treatment of the IGCs with this DAG lipase
inhibitor completely inhibited both the NCAM- and FGF-stimulated
increase in GAP-43 phosphorylation (Table 2). Interestingly, none of
these agents had any effect on the basal level of GAP-43
phosphorylation in the isolated growth cones.
View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Table 2.
Inhibitors of the FGFr-diacylglycerol pathway inhibit NCAM
and FGF-induced increased GAP-43 phosphorylation
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION |
Ig CAMs play important roles in axonal growth and guidance and in
the synaptic plasticity associated with learning and memory (see
introductory remarks). Neuronal responsiveness to CAMs is unlikely to
be explained by simple adhesion; for example, the neuronal CAM
deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC),
a netrin receptor, is required for their growth-promoting and guidance
functions (Keino-Masu et al., 1996 ; de la Torre et al., 1997 ). However, some DCC-positive neurons do not respond to netrins (Keino-Masu et al.,
1996 ) or become unresponsive over time (see Shirasaki et al., 1998 ).
Thus the spatiotemporal regulation of neuronal responsiveness to CAMs
is crucial for both neuronal development and adult plasticity.
Some aspects of NCAM function are explained best by its ability to
activate signaling cascades. For example, neurite outgrowth stimulated
by cell-expressed and soluble NCAM can be accounted for fully by a
CAM-dependent activation of neuronal FGF receptors (for review, see
Walsh and Doherty, 1997 ). Likewise, neurite outgrowth stimulated by
either cell-expressed or soluble L1 can be blocked by agents that
inhibit the activity of the FGF receptor (Williams et al., 1994a ,
1995a ). The proximal steps in the FGF receptor signaling cascade
involve the sequential activities of PLC and DAG lipase to generate
arachidonic acid; however, we know little about how this modulates the
motile behavior of a growing neurite.
The growth cone is responsible for orchestrating axonal growth and
guidance (Kater and Rehder, 1995 ). A major growth cone component
implicated in axonal growth and guidance and the synaptic plasticity
associated with learning and memory is GAP-43 (see introductory
remarks). It therefore becomes important to determine whether GAP-43
functions downstream from the NCAM-activated signal transduction
cascade. In this regard, it has been established that arachidonic acid,
which plays a central role in the NCAM-stimulated axonal growth
response (Doherty and Walsh, 1994 ) and which has been implicated
in signaling associated with learning and memory (Williams et al.,
1994a ), can stimulate GAP-43 phosphorylation by PKC (see introductory remarks).
Our results clearly demonstrate a requirement for GAP-43 in both NCAM-
and FGF2-stimulated neurite outgrowth. In contrast, the lack of GAP-43
did not affect neurite outgrowth over fibroblasts (this study) or
laminin (Strittmatter at al., 1995 ), both of which depend on integrin
function. Considerable evidence has shown that FGF receptor function is
required for NCAM, but not for integrin-dependent neurite outgrowth
(for review, see Walsh and Doherty, 1997 ). It thus appears that GAP-43
function is essential for specific environmental cues to stimulate growth.
Growth cone behavior directly correlates with the phosphorylation
status of GAP-43; for example, GAP-43 phosphorylation can be stimulated
by cell-cell contact, and phosphorylated GAP-43 is enriched in
lamellae that are actively translocating. In contrast, retracting
growth cones contain unphosphorylated GAP-43 (Dent and Meiri, 1992a ,b ,
1998 ). This correlation, together with the requirement for GAP-43
function in NCAM-stimulated neurite outgrowth, raises the question of
whether GAP-43 phosphorylation is modulated directly by the signal
transduction cascade stimulated by NCAM.
Our results show the phosphorylation of GAP-43 in neurons that are
growing on NCAM-transfected cells, but not on untransfected control
cells, suggesting that the homophilic binding of NCAM might stimulate
the phosphorylation of neuronal GAP-43. Because this system is not
amenable to quantitative biochemical studies, we used subcellular
fractions of isolated growth cones to investigate how soluble NCAM-Fc
chimeras affect GAP-43 phosphorylation. We have used them previously to
demonstrate the increased phosphorylation of GAP-43 during
depolarization-induced Ca2+ influx and in response
to NGF (Meiri and Burdick, 1991 ).
A similar concentration range of an NCAM-Fc chimera stimulated both
neurite outgrowth and phosphorylation of GAP-43. Likewise, the three Ig
domain chimera stimulated the phosphorylation of essentially all of the
GAP-43 (95.3 ± 3.9% of total) within minutes. Recent results
suggest that NCAM-NCAM binding involves pairwise antiparallel binding,
with the third Ig domains binding to each other with higher activity
than the other domains (Rao et al., 1994 ; Ranheim et al., 1996 ).
Previous results (Williams et al., 1994a , 1995a ) predicted that a
soluble L1-Fc chimera, which, like NCAM, is able to activate the FGF
receptor giving rise to PLC activation and arachidonic acid
synthesis, also should cause the stimulation of GAP-43 phosphorylation. As with NCAM, the L1-Fc chimera stimulated the phosphorylation of a
significant amount of GAP-43 (93 ± 5% of total) within minutes. The results confirm that different CAMS use similar second messenger systems intracellularly.
The FGF receptor can be activated directly by basic FGF (FGF2; Jaye et
al., 1992 ; Green et al., 1996 ). FGF2 stimulated phosphorylation of
84.5 ± 1.9% (n = 6) of the GAP-43 in the growth
cone preparation, not statistically different from NCAM-Fc. Thus we
conclude that both agents stimulate phosphorylation of the same pool of
GAP-43 and that the majority of growth cones containing GAP-43 must be responsive to both FGF and NCAM. Likewise, melittin, which stimulates arachidonic acid production in neurons, also stimulates the
phosphorylation of essentially all of the GAP-43 in the isolated growth
cone preparations.
Both NCAM- and L1-stimulated neurite outgrowths depend on the
activation of the FGF receptor in neurons. The sequential activities of
PLC and DAG lipase are key steps that lead to the production of
arachidonic acid and subsequent neurite outgrowth (Walsh and Doherty,
1997 ). We showed here that an FGF receptor-blocking antibody inhibits
not only the FGF-stimulated increase in GAP-43 phosphorylation but also
the NCAM-stimulated response. Inhibition of the NCAM response was
incomplete (~70%), conceivably reflecting the activation of
additional pathway(s) by NCAM. Alternatively, the CAM-FGF receptor interaction may be inhibited incompletely by this antibody. Our own lab
and others have demonstrated that a specific inhibitor of DAG lipase
blocks both FGF receptor-dependent increases in arachidonic acid
production (Williams et al., 1994a ,c ; Hou et al., 1997 ) and inhibits
neurite outgrowth stimulated by FGF from several neuronal types
(Williams et al., 1994a ,c ; Brittis et al., 1996 ; Lom and Holt, 1997 ).
FGF receptor function also is required for the projection of axons in
both the mammalian and Xenopus retina (Brittis et al., 1996 ;
McFarlane et al., 1996 ), and inhibition of DAG lipase with RHC80267 can
mimic the effects of direct inhibition of the FGF receptor function
(Brittis et al., 1996 ; Lom and Holt, 1997 ). Here we have shown that
this DAG lipase inhibitor completely prevents GAP-43 phosphorylation
induced by NCAM and FGF. Thus we conclude that axonal growth and
guidance responses and the phosphorylation of GAP-43 by FGF and NCAM
requires the activity of DAG lipase, most probably reflecting its role
in arachidonic acid production.
Neurite outgrowth stimulated by NCAM and FGF is not additive (Williams
et al., 1994b ), and similarly each stimulated phosphorylation of the
complete pool of GAP-43 in growth cones. In contrast, neurite outgrowth
stimulated by FGF and arachidonic acid is biphasic such that low levels
are stimulatory, whereas higher levels can be inhibitory. This has been
attributed to "set-point" properties of arachidonic acid (Williams
et al., 1994a ,c ). Likewise, the dose-response curve for both FGF- and
melittin-induced phosphorylation of GAP-43 was biphasic. We speculate
that NCAM and FGF do not have additive effects on neurite outgrowth
because each can induce complete phosphorylation of GAP-43 in growth
cones. Likewise, melittin and arachidonic acid might have biphasic
effects on neurite outgrowth because they have biphasic effects on
GAP-43 phosphorylation.
Evidence in vitro and in culture implicates GAP-43 and
F-actin interactions as one mechanism whereby GAP-43 phosphorylation affects growth cone behavior; when GAP-43 levels in growth cones are
depleted, F-actin is reduced and motility is inhibited (Aigner and
Caroni, 1993 ). In vitro, phosphorylated GAP-43 stabilizes long actin filaments, whereas unphosphorylated GAP-43 prevents actin
polymerization (He and Meiri, 1997 ). Alternatively, neurite outgrowth
stimulated by the NCAM and L1 also requires activation of the
Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase (Williams et al.,
1995a ). In this context the Ca2+-dependent
dissociation of calmodulin from GAP-43 (Chapman et al., 1991 ) might
contribute to kinase activation, thereby enhancing neurite outgrowth
(see Kuhn et al., 1998 ). Our results with the GAP-43 knock-out mouse
suggest either that it is not functionally redundant with
mechanisms directly activating the Ca2+/calmodulin
kinase or that both kinase and actin behaviors contribute independently.
How arachidonic acid stimulates GAP-43 phosphorylation remains to be
determined. In a number of paradigms PKC II, which is enriched in the
growth cone membrane skeleton along with GAP-43, phosphorylates GAP-43
on serine-41 (Coggins and Zwiers, 1989 ; Apel et al., 1990 ). Arachidonic
acid might activate PKC directly or might increase calcium influx via
N- and L-type channels, thereby stimulating kinase activity. In this
regard, Ca2+ channel function is required for
NCAM-stimulated neurite outgrowth (for review, see Walsh and Doherty,
1997 ) and can activate PKC to stimulate GAP-43 phosphorylation (see
Fukura et al., 1996 ).
Our results suggest that the NCAM axonal growth response from intact
neurons and the phosphorylation of GAP-43 in isolated growth cones are
well correlated and that GAP-43 function is required for
NCAM-stimulated neurite outgrowth. Likewise, our results with L1
predict that GAP-43 function will be required for L1-induced neurite
outgrowth. Both neurite outgrowth and GAP-43 phosphorylation can be
accounted for fully by an FGF receptor-dependent signaling cascade that
generates arachidonic acid as a consequence of the sequential
activities of PLC and DAG lipase. Other CAMs, and in particular L1
and N-cadherin, also stimulate neurite outgrowth via an FGF
receptor-dependent mechanism (Walsh and Doherty, 1997 ), and we found
that L1-Fc also will phosphorylate GAP-43 in isolated growth cones. Our
results provide a framework for a model whereby CAMs and FGFs influence
axonal growth and guidance by modulating the ratio of phosphorylated to
unphosphorylated GAP-43 in discrete areas of the growth cone.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received May 6, 1998; revised Sept. 17, 1998; accepted Sept. 23, 1998.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants NS
26091 and NS 33118 (to K.F.M.) and the Wellcome Trust and European Union Grant B104-CT-960450 (to P.D. and F.S.W.). The expression vectors encoding NCAM-Fc chimeric proteins used in the
present study were constructed in the Doherty/Walsh lab by Dr. Leila
Needham, and we thank her for making the chimeras available for this study.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Karina F. Meiri at the above address.
 |
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Y. Zhang, X. Bo, R. Schoepfer, A. J. D. G. Holtmaat, J. Verhaagen, P. C. Emson, A. R. Lieberman, and P. N. Anderson
Growth-associated protein GAP-43 and L1 act synergistically to promote regenerative growth of Purkinje cell axons in vivo
PNAS,
October 11, 2005;
102(41):
14883 - 14888.
[Abstract]
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C. Kamm, H. Boston, J. Hewett, J. Wilbur, D. P. Corey, P. I. Hanson, V. Ramesh, and X. O. Breakefield
The Early Onset Dystonia Protein TorsinA Interacts with Kinesin Light Chain 1
J. Biol. Chem.,
May 7, 2004;
279(19):
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[Abstract]
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D. M. Shin, S. Korada, R. Raballo, C. S. Shashikant, A. Simeone, J. R. Taylor, and F. Vaccarino
Loss of Glutamatergic Pyramidal Neurons in Frontal and Temporal Cortex Resulting from Attenuation of FGFR1 Signaling Is Associated with Spontaneous Hyperactivity in Mice
J. Neurosci.,
March 3, 2004;
24(9):
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[Abstract]
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Z.-y. Huang, Y. Wu, S. P. Burke, and D. H. Gutmann
The 43,000 Growth-associated Protein Functions as a Negative Growth Regulator in Glioma
Cancer Res.,
June 1, 2003;
63(11):
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[Abstract]
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I. Leshchyns'ka, V. Sytnyk, J. S. Morrow, and M. Schachner
Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) association with PKC{beta}2 via {beta}I spectrin is implicated in NCAM-mediated neurite outgrowth
J. Cell Biol.,
May 12, 2003;
161(3):
625 - 639.
[Abstract]
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R. J. Wechsler-Reya
Analysis of Gene Expression in the Normal and Malignant Cerebellum
Recent Prog. Horm. Res.,
January 1, 2003;
58(1):
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[Abstract]
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A. Bizzoca, D. Virgintino, L. Lorusso, M. Buttiglione, L. Yoshida, A. Polizzi, M. Tattoli, R. Cagiano, F. Rossi, S. Kozlov, et al.
Transgenic mice expressing F3/contactin from the TAG-1 promoter exhibit developmentally regulated changes in the differentiation of cerebellar neurons
Development,
January 1, 2003;
130(1):
29 - 43.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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S. L. Donovan, L. A. Mamounas, A. M. Andrews, M. E. Blue, and J. S. McCasland
GAP-43 Is Critical for Normal Development of the Serotonergic Innervation in Forebrain
J. Neurosci.,
May 1, 2002;
22(9):
3543 - 3552.
[Abstract]
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[PDF]
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P. Niethammer, M. Delling, V. Sytnyk, A. Dityatev, K. Fukami, and M. Schachner
Cosignaling of NCAM via lipid rafts and the FGF receptor is required for neuritogenesis
J. Cell Biol.,
April 29, 2002;
157(3):
521 - 532.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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Y. Shen, S. Mani, S. L. Donovan, J. E. Schwob, and K. F. Meiri
Growth-Associated Protein-43 Is Required for Commissural Axon Guidance in the Developing Vertebrate Nervous System
J. Neurosci.,
January 1, 2002;
22(1):
239 - 247.
[Abstract]
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B. Petrausch, R. Tabibiazar, T. Roser, Y. Jing, D. Goldman, C. A. O. Stuermer, N. Irwin, and L. I. Benowitz
A Purine-Sensitive Pathway Regulates Multiple Genes Involved in Axon Regeneration in Goldfish Retinal Ganglion Cells
J. Neurosci.,
November 1, 2000;
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[Abstract]
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J. M. Kennedy and D. W. Zochodne
The regenerative deficit of peripheral nerves in experimental diabetes: its extent, timing and possible mechanisms
Brain,
October 1, 2000;
123(10):
2118 - 2129.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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K. Kolkova, V. Novitskaya, N. Pedersen, V. Berezin, and E. Bock
Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule-Stimulated Neurite Outgrowth Depends on Activation of Protein Kinase C and the Ras-Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway
J. Neurosci.,
March 15, 2000;
20(6):
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[Abstract]
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K. Chung, J. Taylor, D. Shum, and S. Chan
Axon routing at the optic chiasm after enzymatic removal of chondroitin sulfate in mouse embryos
Development,
January 6, 2000;
127(12):
2673 - 2683.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
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F Zhang, C Lu, C Severin, and D. Sretavan
GAP-43 mediates retinal axon interaction with lateral diencephalon cells during optic tract formation
Development,
January 3, 2000;
127(5):
969 - 980.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
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D. L. Maier, S. Mani, S. L. Donovan, D. Soppet, L. Tessarollo, J. S. McCasland, and K. F. Meiri
Disrupted cortical map and absence of cortical barrels in growth-associated protein (GAP)-43 knockout mice
PNAS,
August 3, 1999;
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[Abstract]
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P. Niethammer, M. Delling, V. Sytnyk, A. Dityatev, K. Fukami, and M. Schachner
Cosignaling of NCAM via lipid rafts and the FGF receptor is required for neuritogenesis
J. Cell Biol.,
April 29, 2002;
157(3):
521 - 532.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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