Gunawardana, P. W.; Gohil, K.; Moon, K.-M.; Foster, L. J.; Williams, F. J.

In an effort to gain insight into cellular systems impacted by neurotrophic trans-banglene (t-BG), global proteomic profiling and Western blot analyses were employed. Expression level changes in response to t-BG treatment were compared to those observed with nerve growth factor (NGF), a natural neurotrophic protein and functional analog to t-BG. Findings from these studies did not point to direct interception of NGF/TrkA signaling by t-BG. Instead, significant alterations in iron-binding and iron-regulating proteins were observed. Intracellular iron measurements by FerroOrange indicate lower ferrous (Fe2+) iron levels in t-BG treated cells but not in NGF treated cells. These results highlight a potential connection between iron regulation and neurotrophic activity.