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Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Isolation and Direct Neuronal Reprogramming of Mouse Astrocytes
Published on: July 7, 2022
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide promotes differentiation of mouse neural stem cells into
Fusako Ohno1, Jun Watanabe, Hohkai Sekihara
1Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Showa University, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan.
Abstract:
We have found that pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) employed at the physiological concentrations induces the differentiation of mouse neural stem cells into astrocytes. The differentiation process was not affected by cAMP analogues such as dibutylic cAMP (db-cAMP) or 8Br-cAMP or by the specific competitive inhibitor of protein kinase A, Rp-adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate triethylamine salt (Rp-cAMP). Expression of the PACAP receptor (PAC1) in neural stem cells was detected by both RT-PCR and immunoblot using an affinity-purified antibody. The PACAP selective antagonist, PACAP(6-38), had an inhibitory effect on the PACAP-induced differentiation of neural stem cells into astrocytes. These results indicate that PACAP acts on the PAC1 receptor on the plasma membrane of mouse neural stem cells, with the signal then transmitted intracellularly via a PAC1-coupled G protein, does not involve Gs. This signaling mechanism may thus play a crucial role in the differentiation of neural stem cells into astrocytes.
