Blockade effect of nerve growth factor on GM1 ganglioside-induced activation of transglutaminase in superior cervical sympathetic ganglia excised from adult rat.

The activity of transglutaminase (TG), a Ca(2+)-dependent enzyme indicating tissue degradation or differentiation, showed in isolated adult rat superior cervical ganglia (SCG) a rapid (within 15 to 30 min) and marked (approx. 5- to 8-fold) increase with the addition of either GM1 ganglioside (GM1, 5 nM), which is rich in synapses, or sialyl cholesterol (SC, 20 microM), a synthetic sialic acid-containing compound, to the incubation medium at 37 degrees C. Under the same incubation conditions, addition of GM1 or SC decreased protein kinase C (PKC) activity (-26% to -39%) in the cytosolic fraction of the SCG, but increased the enzymic activity (+39% to +61%) in the particulate (cell membrane) fraction, suggesting that a sialic acid-containing compound (GM1 or SC) promotes PKC translocation from the cytosol to the membrane in ganglionic neurons. By contrast, addition of a promoting factor for survival of sympathetic neurons even in adulthood, nerve growth factor, (NGF, 0.25 micrograms/ml) to the medium significantly decreased ganglionic TG activity (-43%). This inhibition was completely antagonized by the co-addition of NGF-monoclonal antibody (0.75 microgram/ml). An effective blockade of GM1- or SC-induced stimulation of ganglionic TG activity was seen by further addition of NGF to the medium. Also, NGF almost abolished the translocation of ganglionic PKC activity induced by the sialic acid-containing compounds, although either NGF or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol ester (TPA) alone stimulated the cytosolic PKC activity (approx. +30%) in the tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)