Folia Biologica
Journal of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Charles University 

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Fol. Biol. 2007, 53, 157-163

https://doi.org/10.14712/fb2007053050157

Neural Differentiation Potentiated by the Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor through STAT3 Signalling in Mouse Embryonal Carcinoma Cells

Jiří Pacherník1,2, V. Horváth3, L. Kubala3, P. Dvořák1,4,5, A. Kozubík2,3, A. Hampl1,4,5

1Center for Cell Therapy and Tissue Repair, Charles University in Prague, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
2Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Brno, Czech Republic
3Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
4Department of Biology, Masaryk University, Faculty of Medicine, Brno, Czech Republic
5Department of Molecular Embryology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic

Received May 2007
Accepted July 2007

LIF is a cytokine playing a key role in the regulation of self-renewal and maintenance of undifferentiated state in mouse ES cells. The response of pluripotent cells to LIF is mediated mainly by the STAT3 and ERK signalling pathways. Recently, we have shown that LIF potentiated retinoic acid-induced neural differentiation of pluripotent mouse embryonal carcinoma P19 cells. Here we demonstrate that pro-neural effects of LIF and partially also of retinoic acid are abolished by inhibition of the JAK2->STAT3 signalling pathway. In contrast, inhibition of the MEK1->ERK signalling pathway does not exhibit any effect. These results suggest that in neurogenic regions, cooperative action of LIF and other neuro-differentiation-inducing factors, such as retinoic acid, may be mediated by the STAT3 signalling pathway.

Funding

This research was supported in part by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (524/03/P171), by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AV0Z50390512), and by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (1M0021620803).

References

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