Brain research. Molecular brain research
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Brain Res. Mol. Brain Res. · May 1995
Reduced electrical excitability of PC12 cells deficient in GAP-43: comparison with GAP-43-positive cells.
The electrical excitability of 3 lines of rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were determined under current-clamp recording conditions. In the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF), PC12(A) 'control' cells expressed high levels of GAP-43 protein, PC12(B) cells were highly deficient in GAP-43, and PC12(AB) cells, created by transfection of PC12(B) cells with a rat GAP-43 gene construct, expressed high levels of GAP-43. ⋯ These spikes were resistant to TTX, were greatly enhanced in TEA and TTX, and were substantially reduced by L-type Ca(2+)-channel antagonists. GAP-43 expression may regulate PC12 cell excitability following NGF treatment, as reflected in a lower proportion of cells capable of discharging with Ca(2+)-spikes in a GAP-43-deficient cell line.