Multiple acute effects on the membrane potential of PC12 cells produced by nerve growth factor (NGF)

Abstract We studied whether nerve growth factor (NGF) can affect the membrane potential and conductance of PC12 cells. We demonstrate that NGF depolarizes the membrane of PC12 cells within a minute and by using transfected NIH 3T3‐Trk and ‐p75 cells we show that both the high affinity NGF receptor p140 trk and the low affinity NGF receptor or p75 NGF may be involved in the depolarization. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor, K252a, partially inhibited the depolarization, but two agents affecting intracellular calcium movements, Xestospongin C (XeC) and thapsigargin, did not. The early depolarization was eliminated in Na + free solutions and under this condition, a ‘prolonged’ (>2 min) hyperpolarization was observed in PC12 cells in response to NGF. This hyperpolarization was also induced in PC12 cells by epidermal growth factor (EGF). Voltage clamp experiments showed that NGF produced a late (>2 min) increase in membrane conductance. The Ca 2+ ‐dependent BK‐type channel blocker, iberiotoxin, and the general Ca 2+ ‐dependent K + channel blocker, TEA, attenuated or eliminated the hyperpolarization produced by NGF in sodium free media. Under pretreatment with the non‐selective cation channel blockers La 3+ and Gd 3+ , NGF hyperpolarized the membrane of PC12 cells. These results suggest that three different currents are implicated in rapid NGF‐induced membrane voltage changes, namely an acutely activated Na + current, Ca 2+ ‐dependent potassium currents and non‐selective cation currents. Published 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.