Fibroblast growth factor induces beta-amyloid precursor mRNA in glial but not neuronal cultured cells.

Treatment of PC12 and C6 cell cultures with recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor results in approximately a five to ten-fold stimulation of beta-amyloid precursor mRNA in the C6 astrocytoma cell line but only a slight induction of precursor mRNA in the PC-12 neuronal cell line. Stimulation of expression occurred at a hormone concentration of approximately 0.5 to 1 nM and was seen after 2 days. These results suggest that basic fibroblast growth factor may contribute to amyloidosis of Alzheimer's disease.