The BioGRID | PUBLICATION VIEW

	Brain Res. Mol. Brain Res. Dec (2003); 120(1):38-45
ATF3 enhances c-Jun-mediated neurite sprouting.
Pearson AG, Gray CW, Pearson JF, Greenwood JM, During MJ, Dragunow M
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
Abstract: The AP-1 transcription factor c-Jun is induced in axotomized neurons of the peripheral and central nervous systems, and in both cases upregulation of c-Jun expression has been correlated with axonal regeneration. More recently there has been interest in the c-Jun-related bZIP transcription factor, ATF3, and its function in neurons. ATF3 is also induced in nerve cells in response to axotomy and there is a correlation between increased ATF3 expression and upregulation of c-Jun in surviving neurons. Moreover, c-Jun is able to induce expression of ATF3. We investigated the effect of co-expressing c-Jun and ATF3 in two neuronal-like cell lines to model transcriptional events occurring in axotomized neurons undergoing regeneration. We show that expression of ATF3 with c-Jun significantly enhances c-Jun-mediated neurite sprouting, and that this phenotype is most likely mediated by a physical association of these two transcription factors. Our results suggest that a program of axonal regeneration is initiated when both c-Jun and ATF3 are upregulated in neurons in response to axotomy.
[PUBMED: 14667575]