Protein Kinase Cδ Mediates Neurogenic but Not Mitogenic Activation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase in Neuronal Cells

Abstract

ABSTRACT In several neuronal cell systems, fibroblast-derived growth factor (FGF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) act as neurogenic agents, whereas epidermal growth factor (EGF) acts as a mitogen. The mechanisms responsible for these different cellular fates are unclear. We report here that although FGF, NGF, and EGF all activate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (extracellular signal-related kinase [ERK]) in rat hippocampal (H19-7) and pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, the activation of ERK by the neurogenic agents FGF and NGF is dependent upon protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), whereas ERK activation in response to the mitogenic EGF is independent of PKCδ. Antisense PKCδ oligonucleotides or the PKCδ-specific inhibitor rottlerin inhibited FGF- and NGF-induced, but not EGF-induced, ERK activation. In contrast, EGF-induced ERK activation was inhibited by the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin, which had no effect upon FGF-induced ERK activation. Rottlerin also inhibited the activation of MAP kinase kinase (MEK) in response to activated Raf, but had no effect upon c-Raf activity or ERK activation by activated MEK. These results indicate that PKCδ functions either downstream from or in parallel with c-Raf, but upstream of MEK. Inhibition of PKCδ also blocked neurite outgrowth induced by FGF and NGF in PC12 cells and by activated Raf in H19-7 cells, indicating a role for PKCδ in the neurogenic effects of FGF, NGF, and Raf. Interestingly, the PKCδ requirement is apparently cell type specific, since FGF-induced ERK activation was independent of PKCδ in NIH 3T3 murine fibroblasts, in which FGF is a mitogen. These data demonstrate that PKCδ contributes to growth factor specificity and response in neuronal cells and may also promote cell-type-specific differences in growth factor signaling.