In sympathetic but not sensory neurones, phosphoinositide-3 kinase is important for NGF-dependent survival and the retrograde transport of 125I-betaNGF.

The way in which the same ligands and receptors have different functional effects in different cell types must depend on subtle differences in the second messenger cascades. Sensory and sympathetic neurones both retrogradely transport nerve growth factor (NGF) and depend on NGF for their developmental survival. NGF binding to the high affinity tyrosine kinase (TrkA) receptors initiates second messenger signalling cascades, one of which includes the activation of phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3-kinase). We demonstrate that 100-fold higher concentrations of the PI3-kinase inhibitor, Wortmannin, are required to inhibit the survival effects and retrograde axonal transport of NGF in sensory neurones than in sympathetic neurones. Similarly, although less potently than Wortmannin, the PI3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 required a 10-fold higher concentration to inhibit the survival effects of NGF in sensory than in sympathetic neurones. Inhibitors of other second messengers, including staurosporine, pertussis and cholera toxins, failed to have an effect on the transport of the NGF receptor complex in both cell types. Also, Wortmannin did not affect the structural integrity of the sympathetic nerve terminals. As PI3-kinase is present in both neuronal populations, this suggests that the Wortmannin sensitive isoform of PI3-kinase (p110) is essential in sympathetic neurones both for survival and for NGF-TrkA receptor complex trafficking. As sensory neurones also depend on NGF for their developmental survival and endocytose and retrogradely transport the NGF-TrkA receptor complex, this population of neurones may either recruit a different isoform of PI3-kinase or utilize PI3-kinase independent signalling pathways for these cellular functions.