Equilibrium-driven mechanism for preferential adhesion between chick embryo cells

Cyclic AMP reduces adhesion of isolated neuronal growth cones from developing rat forebrain to an astrocytic cell line from embryonic mouse striatum

We have recently shown that isolated neuronal growth cones from developing rat forebrain possess an appreciable activity of adenylate cyclase, producing cyclic adenosine monophosphate, which can be stimulated by various neurotransmitter receptor agonists and by forskolin [Lockerbie R. O., Hervé D., Blanc G., Tassin J. P. and Glowinski J. (1988) Devl Brain Res. 38, 19-25]. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in an in vitro adhesion assay established between [3H]GABA-labelled isolated growth cones and a Simian virus-40 transformed astrocytic cell line from embryonic mouse striatum. Adhesion of the isolated growth cones onto the astrocytic clone increased steadily up to about 45 min before it began to level off at ca 16-18% of total [3H]GABA-labelled isolated growth cones added. Adhesion of the isolated growth cones onto the astrocytic clone was much superior to that seen on polyornithine and, in particular, on non-treated tissue culture wells. Adhesion "at plateau" was independent of both temperature and extracellular Ca2+ and was markedly reduced (ca 50%) by trypsin pre-treatment of the isolated growth cones. Pre-treatment of the isolated growth cones with either forskolin or lipophilic analogues of cyclic adenosine monophosphate attenuated adhesion in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Approximately 30% reduction in adhesion to the astrocytic clone "at plateau" was observed after a 15 min pre-treatment of the isolated growth cones with forskolin at 10(-4) M or cyclic adenosine monophosphate analogues at 10(-3) M. A cyclic guanosine monophosphate analogue was without effect on adhesion of isolated growth cones. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed that isolated growth cones pre-treated with either cyclic adenosine monophosphate analogues or forskolin had a simpler morphology when attached to the astrocytic clone than isolated growth cones under control conditions. Pre-treatment of the isolated growth cones with low concentrations of cyclic adenosine monophosphate analogues increased protein kinase activity, measured using an exogenous histone phosphate acceptor, to a level which could not be further stimulated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Pre-treatment with a cyclic guanosine monophosphate analogue produced the same effect but only at much higher concentrations than those required for cyclic adenosine monophosphate analogues.