Fig. 8. Quantification of the number of neurites per cell (A, including cells not bearing neurites), the percent of neurite-bearing cells (B), the total neurite length per cell (C) and the number of branch points per neurite (D) from SH-SY5Y cells either not infected (Control) or infected with adenovirus to express green fluorescent protein (GFP) alone or co-express GFP and constitutively active (CA-) Rit or CA-Raf. Cells were also subjected to treatment with the MEK inhibitor PD 098059 (PD, CA-Rit + PD, CA-Raf+PD). CA-Rit increases neurite initiation (A,B), elongation (C, P=0.056) and branching (D) over Control or cultures infected with adenovirus expressing only GFP. PD 098059 blocks the CA-Rit-induced increase in the number of neurites per cell (A) and the percentage of neurite-bearing cells (B) but not the total neurite length (C) or the number of branch points per neurite (D). PD 098059 decreased basal or CA-Raf-induced neurite initiation (the number of neurites per cell, A; the percentage of neurite-bearing cells, B), but not elongation (C) or branching (D). Results are means±s.e.m. of pooled data from two separate experiments. Asterisks (*) indicate significant difference compared with Control or GFP only cultures (not bracketed), and bracketed asterisks indicate significant differences between those respective groups at P<0.05 (ANOVA with Least Significant Difference post-hoc test).

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