Signaling pathway of ciliary neurotrophic factor in neuroblastoma cell lines

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a member of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine family and affects the survival and differentiation of several classes of neurons. For signal transduction, CNTF requires a receptor complex, composed of the IL-6 signal transducing molecule gp130, leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR)-beta, and CNTFR-alpha. There are two major independent pathways (Jak-STAT and Ras-MAPK) in cell signaling, and some recent reports show interaction between these pathways. The signal of the IL-6 family is mainly transduced to the Jak-STAT pathway through gp130. However, it has not been examined in neuroblastoma in detail.

Here we examine the signaling pathway of CNTF in 11 neuroblastoma cell lines. Northern blot analysis revealed that 3 of the 11 cell lines expressed c-fos mRNA after CNTF stimulation. Cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with agarose-conjugated antiphosphotyrosine antibody and blotted with anti-gp130, anti-Jak1, or anti-STAT3 antibody. Tyrosine phosphorylation of gp130, Jak1, and STAT3 was observed after CNTF stimulation in these three cell lines. Furthermore, tyrosine phosphorylation of ERK1 (one of the MAPKs) was also observed in all of them.

These results demonstrate that CNTF signaling is conserved in some of the neuroblastoma cell lines and suggest that not only a Jak-STAT pathway but a MAPK pathway is activated by CNTF through gp130 in neuroblastoma cell lines.