Induction of the Cholinergic Phenotype in Mouse Neuroblastoma Cells Using Nerve Growth Factor

Abstract—Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a factor which determines neuronal differentiation. NGF plays an important role in growth and differentiation of sensory and sympathetic neurons in the peripheral nervous system. In the mature brain, NGF is involved in the maintenance of the cholinergic neuronal phenotype. Here, we studied a possibility to induce the cholinergic phenotype in mouse neuroblastoma cells, which are often used to model various physiological and pathological processes occurring in the nervous system. Cells of NB41A3 and Neuro2a neuroblastoma lines are most frequently used to study the properties of cholinergic neurons. In the cells of these lines, the expression of TrkA and p75NGFR receptors, which is specific for the forebrain cholinergic nuclei, was revealed. Differentiation of the cells was induced by application of NGF or 8-Br-cAMP. NGF did not induce neuronal differentiation. Moreover, we did not find any changes in the content of choline acetyltransferase and vesicular acetylcholine transporter mRNA and protein, which were used as markers of the cholinergic phenotype. Thus, NB41A3 and Neuro2a cell lines cannot be advised as a model of cholinergic neurons in vitro because they do not differentiate and/or exhibit signs of the cholinergic phenotype in response to NGF stimulation.