Abstract:

To investigate the differentiation mechanisms of P19 cells by determining expression of the basic helixloophelix (bHLH) genes. MethodsP19 cells were primarily cultured and were induced to differentiate by retinoic acid(RA). Reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction( RTPCR) was used to detect expression of Mash1, Math1 and Nscl2 mRNA in P19 cells before differentiation and at 2 and 4?d after differentiation. Western blot analysis was used to detect expression of Mash1. ResultsExpressions of Mash1 and Nscl2 mRNA increased with time, and at the 2?d after differentiation they reached a peak and then decreased. Math1 was highly expressed after differentiation. Protein expression of Mash1 was the as same as the mRNA expression of it. ConclusionThe expression pattern of mRNA of the bHLH genes was detected, which may contribute to explaining the mechanisms of neural differentiation.

Key words: P19 cells; Retinoic acid; Differentiation; bHLH genes