Detection of NGF-receptors TrkA and p75NTR in human tumor cell lines and effect of NGF on the growth characteristic of the UT-7/EPO cell line

The receptors for nerve growth factor (NGF) - TrkA and p75(NTR) - were detected at the mRNA and the protein level in various human tumor cell lines. The NGF receptor TrkA was found on all examined tumor cell lines and is not restricted to cells belonging to the nervous system. NGF did not influence the proliferation rate of TrkA-positive cells NMB, K562, UT-7/EPO and PC-12. After NGF induction, the production level of the differentiation marker c-fos was increased in UT-7/EPO and PC-12 cells. NGF-treatment of the UT-7/EPO cells and deprivation of erythropoietin (EPO) led to the new adherent cell line UT-7/NGF. Although UT-7/NGF showed a similar growth curve as UT-7/EPO, there were differences in the pattern of adhesion molecules and of the cytoskeleton. The effect of NGF on the cytoskeleton could not be induced in other human cell lines like NMB or KTCTL-30. TrkA inhibition with K252a - a blocker of Trk-induced receptor kinase - suggests, that the NGF signal may be transduced by the TrkA receptor in UT-7/NGF cells. This indicates that NGF is a decisive mediator of cellular adhesion.