Reconstituted Basement Membrane Enhances Neurite Out- growth in PC12 Cells Induced by Nerve Growth Factor

Rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) respond to nerve growth fador (NGF) by elaborating neurites. We have studied the effed of extracellular matrix proteins on responsiveness of PC12 cells to NGF. NGF elicited neu-rite outgrowth in cells plated on collagen, fibronedin, or laminin within 48-72 h. In contrast, cells entrapped in reconstituted basement membrane prepared from the Engelbreth-HoIm-Swarm tumor (EHS-BM) re-sponded within 24 h. Cells plated on collagen or fibro-nedin required a minimal dose of 50 ng/ml NGF to achieve the same effed as cells entrapped in EHS-BM at 1 ng/ml NGF. Neurites displayed by cells plated in EHS-BM were more extensively branched and remained intad up to 21 days following a single administration of NGF