I:Cell Aggregation Induced FGF8 Elevation Is Essential For P19 Cell Neural Differentiation II:Visualization Of BHLH Transcription Factor Interactions In Living Mammalian Cell Nuclei And Developing Chicken Neural Tube By FRET

Part I: Cell aggregation induced FGF8 elevation is essential for P19 cell neural differentiationFGF8, a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, has been shown to play important roles in different developing systems. Mouse embryonic carcinoma P19 cells could be induced by retinoic acid (RA) to differentiate into neuroectodermal cell lineages, and this process is cell aggregation dependent. In this report, we show that FGF8 expression is transiently up-regulated upon P19 cell aggregation, and the aggregation-dependent FGF8 elevation is pluripotent stem cell related. Over-expressing FGF8 promotes RA-induced monolayer P19 cell neural differentiation. Inhibition of FGF8 expression by RNA interference or blocking FGF signaling by FGF receptor inhibitor, SU5402, attenuates neural differentiation of P19 cell. Blocking the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway by over-expressing Smad6 in P19 cell, we also show that FGF signaling plays a BMP inhibition-independent role in P19 cell neural differentiation.