Cardiotrophin-like cytokine induces astrocyte differentiation of fetal neuroepithelial cells via activation of STAT3

Atsumi Uemura, Takumi Takizawa, Wataru Ochiai, Makoto Yanagisawa, Kinichi Nakashima, Tetsuya Taga

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cardiotrophin-like cytokine (CLC), also known as novel neurotrophin-1/B cell stimulating factor-3 (NNT-1/BSF-3), is a recently identified member of the interleukin (IL)-6 family of cytokines that share gp130 as a signal-transducing receptor component. In this study, we demonstrate that CLC is expressed in fetal mouse neuroepithelial cells and has a potential to induce their astrocyte differentiation in a synergistic manner with bone-morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, which is also expressed in the fetal mouse brain. CLC-stimulation led to promoter activation of the gene for an astrocyte marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), which was clearly inhibited by expression of a dominant negative form of a transcription factor, STAT3, or by introduction of a mutation in a single STAT3-binding site in the promoter, suggesting a critical role of STAT3 in the CLC-induced GFAP transcription. These results suggest that CLC plays a role in astrocyte differentiation via STAT3 activation within the developing brain.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
JournalCytokine
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2002
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Biochemistry
  • Hematology
  • Molecular Biology

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