Primary structure and biological activity of human brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a 27-kDa basic protein of noncovalently linked 13.5-kD subunits related to nerve growth factor and is produced by the central nervous system (CNS). BDNF has been shown to promote the survival of neurons located in or directly connected with the CNS and is likely to function in adjusting the cell number within neuronal populations to the need of this projection field. Here we describe the primary structure of a human BDNF cDNA, the biological activities of pure recombinant human BDNF, and the tissue distribution of rat BDNF. BDNF mRNA can be found in some peripheral tissues as well as in the CNS, and recombinant human BDNF is a potent neurotrophic factor for primary peripheral sensory neurons.
Rosenthal
A
A
Department of Molecular Biology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080.
Goeddel
D V
DV
Nguyen
T
T
Martin
E
E
Burton
L E
LE
Shih
A
A
Laramee
G R
GR
Wurm
F
F
Mason
A
A
Nikolics
K
K
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010920:Placenta / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013552:Swine
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins