Effects of cell culture conditions, nerve growth factor, dexamethasone, and cyclic AMP on adrenal chromaffin cells in vitro.

Adrenal chromaffin cells from young rats, newborn guinea pigs, and adult cattle were grown under various cell culture conditions. Nerve growth factor (NGF) elicited the outgrowth of neurite-like processes from rat, but not from bovine and guinea pig, chromaffin cells. Dexamethasone, dibutyryl cAMP, theophylline, and cholera toxin, which are known to augment intracellular cAMP, specifically inhibited neurite outgrowth. We propose that glucocorticoid hormones and mechanisms which act through an increase of cAMP are prerequisites for the acquisition and maintenance of differentiation and expression of an endocrine instead of a neuronal phenotype of adrenal chromaffin cells.