Altered expression and distribution of FAC1 during NGF-induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells

The molecular mechanisms by which neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor (NGF) induce neurite outgrowth and differentiation remain unclear, although multiple intracellular signaling pathways are known to participate. Recent studies have shown that nuclear transcription factors play an important role in NGF-stimulated neuritic outgrowth in PC12 cells. We investigated whether FAC1, a novel transcriptional regulator that exhibits altered subcellular distribution during brain development, is responsive to NGF-induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. Our studies demonstrate that NGF induces a rapid, transient increase in FACI mRNA that is dependent upon ERK activation, and that FAC1 protein exhibits altered subcellular distribution during neurite outgrowth. These findings suggest that FAC1 expression and subcellular localization are regulated by NGF signaling pathways during neurite outgrowth.