Inhibition by K-252a, a new inhibitor of protein kinase, of nerve growth factor-induced neurite outgrowth of chick embryo dorsal root ganglion cells.

The effect of K-252a, a new alkaloid-like kinase inhibitor from the culture broth of Nocardiopsis sp., on the action of nerve growth factor on normal nerve cells was examined. Nerve cells were isolated from the dorsal root ganglia of chick embryo by trituration without using digesting enzymes, and were seeded on collagen- or poly-L-lysine-coated plastic dishes containing serum-free medium. K-252a at 50-100 nM reversibly inhibited the formation of neurites by dorsal root ganglion cells elicited by the treatment with nerve growth factor.