REGULATION OF THE SECRETORY PATHWAY IN A NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION MODEL

SAMPIERI, L; GARCIA IA; TORRES DEMICHELIS, VA; MARTINEZ, H; ALVAREZ, C

Mar del Plata

Congreso; SAIB 2015; 2015

SAIB

REGULATION OF THE SECRETORY PATHWAY IN A NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION MODEL The secretory pathway is ubiquitious, however, its components can adaptto different physiological situations such as increased secretory demand ordifferentiation. One example of cell differentiation are developing neurons,where the secretory pathway must adapt to cope with size increase ment andacquirement of plasma membrane proteins like neurotransmitter receptors. Themechanisms underlying thisprocess of adaptation are still poorly understood. Our aim is todescribe biochemical and morphological changes involving the secretory pathwayduring neuronal differentiation and to understand how they are regulated. We analyzedthis process using PC12 cells, which are rat pheochromocytoma cells that candifferentiate into neuron-like cells in response to Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).We have found that, after addition of NGF there is a time-dependentincreasement in the levels of different components of the secretory pathway,such as Calreticulin and Calnexin (markers of the ER); proteins of the COPIIComplex (ER Exit Sites); GM130 and GalNAc-T2 (Golgi Complex). We propose that,during PC12 cells differentiation, the secretory pathway undergoes a bigadaptation process in order to respond to the high demand of its function. Our futuregoals are to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for this adaptation and toextend our studies to other neuronal cell models.