PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Zuber, MX
AU  - Goodman, DW
AU  - Karns, LR
AU  - Fishman, MC
TI  - The neuronal growth-associated protein GAP-43 induces filopodia in non-neuronal cells
AID  - 10.1126/science.2658062
DP  - 1989 Jun 09
TA  - Science
PG  - 1193--1195
VI  - 244
IP  - 4909
4099  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/244/4909/1193.short
4100  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/244/4909/1193.full
SO  - Science1989 Jun 09; 244
AB  - The neuron-specific protein GAP-43 is associated with the membrane of the nerve growth cone and thus may be important to the activity of this distinctive neuronal structure. Transient transfection of COS and NIH 3T3 cells with appropriate vectors resulted in expression of GAP-43 in these non-neuronal cells; as in neurons, transfected GAP-43 associated with the membrane. In addition, many long fine filopodial processes extended from the periphery of such transfected cells. Stable CHO cell lines expressing GAP-43 also exhibited processes that were more numerous, far longer, and more complex than those of CHO cell lines not transfected or transfected with control plasmids. Thus GAP-43 may directly contribute to growth cone activity by regulating cell membrane structure and enhancing extension of filopodial processes.