Figure 3. NGF activates the ERK1/2 and AKT pathways in Müller cells. A: Western blotting was performed to assess the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and AKT signaling in Müller cells after treatment with 100 ng/ml of nerve growth factor (NGF) for 5, 15, or 30 min. An equal concentration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as the control. NGF promotes the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 at all time points with peak activation after 5 min of treatment. Similarly, NGF enhances the phosphorylation of AKT significantly at 5 min. B: Müller cells pretreated with 20 nM K252a for 30 min and then treated with NGF for 5 min. The western blot shows the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and AKT in response to NGF combined with the K252a treatment was markedly decreased compared to NGF alone.