Abstract
Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a membrane-derived lipid signaling molecule important in neuronal development. Abnormal levels of PGE2, due to environmental insults prenatal development, have been linked to brain pathologies. We have previously shown that the addition of PGE2 to neuroectodermal (NE4C) stem cells affects early stages of neuronal differentiation (day 0-8) including increased stem cell motility, accelerated formation of neurospheres, and elevated calcium levels in growth cones. In this study, we further examine whether PGE2 can influence actin-dependent neuronal morphology in later stages (day 8-12) of NE4C cell differentiation. We show that exposure to PGE2 from the initiation of differentiation increased neurite length and the proportion of neurites that formed axonal loops. We also observed changes in the proportion of turning growth cones as the differentiation progressed, with a reduced likelihood of observing turning (or asymmetrical) growth cones on day 8 and increased odds on days 10 and 12. Moreover, we showed for the first time that the observed changes in cytoskeletal morphology were PGE2/PKA dependent. Interestingly, we also found that PGE2 decreased the total protein levels of the actin-bound form of spinophilin and increased levels of unbound PKA-phosphorylated ser94-spinophilin. Hence, we propose that exposure to PGE2 can destabilize the actin cytoskeleton at various stages of neuronal differentiation due to dissociation of ser94-spinophilin causing changes in neuronal morphology.