Retinoic acid up-regulates ciliary neurotrophic factor receptors in cultured chick neurons and cardiomyocytes

Retinoic acid is an important developmental factor in the heart and nervous system and regulates the expression of trophic factor receptors in neural cell lines. Here we show the effects of retinoic acid on cytokine responsiveness in embryonic chick neurons and myocytes. Treatment of cultured cardiomyocytes and retinal and ciliary ganglion neurons with retinoic acid resulted in increased expression of receptors for the neuropoietic cytokine, CNTF. All-trans-retinoic acid induced as much as a 3-fold increase in CNTF receptor α subunit mRNA in a time and concentration dependent manner and resulted in an enhanced CNTF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the transcription factor, STAT3. These results indicate that neurons and myocytes expressing CNTF receptors are responsive to retinoic acid and suggest that retinoids may regulate call sensitivity to cytokines during development.