Journal of Neurochemistry · 2002 · 26 citations · 48 references
Life SciencesNeurobiologyNeuroscienceCellular NeuroscienceDevelopmental NeuroscienceMolecular Cell BiologyCyclin-dependent KinasesNeural DevelopmentNeural DifferentiationNeuronal Cell BiologyNeuronal DifferentiationRetinoic Acid SignalingCdk ActivationCell AggregationCell Cycle Signaling PathwaysCyclin-dependent Kinase RegulationCyclin-dependent Kinase Signaling PathwaysCyclinsKinase Activity ProfilingTranscriptional Regulation By Cyclin-dependent Kinases
We have recently developed a rapid protocol involving NT2 cell aggregation and treatment with retinoic acid (RA) to produce terminally differentiated CNS neurons. As a first step to explore the functional roles of cell-cycle regulatory proteins in the process of neuronal differentiation, the expression profiles of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) and their regulators were examined in NT2 cells following treatment with RA. One of the Cdks, Cdk5, has been demonstrated to affect the process of neuronal differentiation and suggested to play an important role in development of the nervous system. We found that the expression of Cdk5 was gradually increased, while its activators (p35 and p39) as well as Cdk5 kinase activity were induced in NT2 cells during the process of neuronal differentiation. Moreover, both p35 and p39 were localized along the axons and varicosity-like structures of differentiated NT2 neurons. Taken together, our results demonstrated that NT2 cells provide a good in vitro model system to examine signaling pathways involved in the regulation of Cdk5 activators and to elucidate the functional roles of Cdk5 in neuronal differentiation.
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The E2F transcription factor is a cellular target for the RB protein
Srikumar Chellappan, Scott W. Hiebert, Maria Mudryj et al. · Cell · 1991 · 1.4K citations
p35 is a neural-specific regulatory subunit of cyclin-dependent kinase 5
Li‐Huei Tsai, Ivana Delalle, Verne S. Caviness et al. · Nature · 1994 · 923 citations