Muscarinic receptor-stimulated expression of c-fos in neuroblastoma cells.

Abstract

The intracellular signal cascade transducing muscarinic-receptor-stimulation to gene expression was investigated in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Naive and ethanol-exposed SH-SU5Y cells were stimulated with carbachol (CCh) and inositol 1,4-5-trisphosphate (IP3), 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG), and c-fos mRNA levels were analyzed using a radioreceptor assay (IP3) thin-layer chromatography (DAG) and Northern blot (c-fos mRNA). Application of the muscarinic agonist CCh induced a rapid increase in (IP3), peaking within seconds after the CCh-addition. There was also an accumulation of DAG reaching maximum after 5 min of receptor-stimulation. Stimulation with CCh also induced expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos in these cells. These events were mediated via muscarinic M1 receptors and the inhibitory effects of H7, staurosporin, and RO31-7549 on the c-fos expression indicated that it was mediated via protein kinase C. Acute exposure to 100 mM ethanol inhibited the formation of IP3 and the expression of c-fos. These effects were due to an increase in the EC50 of CCh for the events. Exposure to 100 mM ethanol for 4 days caused a potentiation of these two events. The EC50 was unaffected but the maximal response was increased. These data indicate that this signal transduction system is inhibited by acute exposure to 100 mM ethanol, an effect that is compensated for after exposure to ethanol for 4 days.