Figure 5. BDNF triggers phosphorylation of Akt in serum-starved CRC cell lines.

The ability of BDNF to activate PI3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway in CRC cells was assessed using antibodies specific to Akt and phospho-Akt (pAkt). WiDr and SW480 cells were serum starved for 16 h. The cells were then exposed to BDNF (100 ng/ml) and harvested at different times, for 5 minutes (min) to 24 hours (h). Thirty µg of protein lysates was analyzed for pAkt (Ser473) and total Akt by western blot analysis. The density of each pAkt band was corrected for variance in loading, using the density of the corresponding total Akt. The fold induction was evaluated as the ratio of phosphorylated Akt protein densities between control (0 min) and treated cells. A representative result of at least three independent experiments.