FASEB J.
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The FASEB Journal, Vol 4, 3360-3363, Copyright © 1990 by The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Cell-surface expression of glia maturation factor beta in astrocytes

R Lim, YX Liu and A Zaheer
Department of Neurology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242.

Glia maturation factor beta (GMF-beta) is a 17-kDa acidic protein isolated from the brain. When added to cultured cells, GMF-beta promotes the phenotypic expression of glia and neurons and inhibits the proliferation of their respective tumors. Although astrocytes produce GMF-beta and store it inside the cells, they do not secrete the protein into the cultured medium. This poses a question as to how GMF-beta mediates intercellular communication. This paper provides an answer by demonstrating the presence of GMF-beta on the surface of astrocytes, using gold-labeled antibody enhanced with silver. It appears that cell- surface GMF-beta acts on the target cells at close range when cells are in direct contact. In contrast to astrocytes, we failed to detect GMF- beta on the surface of C6 glioma cells, although these cells, like astrocytes, possess endogenous intracellular GMF-beta and are also responsive to GMF-beta added to the medium. The lack of cell-surface expression of GMF-beta in C6 cells may reflect a breakdown in intercellular communication in these malignant cells.




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Copyright © 1990 by The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.