Neurotrophic activities of normal and motor neurone disease patient skeletal muscle extract on cultured rat spinal neurones.
Cultured foetal rat spinal neurones, grown in serum-free medium from day 3, respond to neuronotrophic factors present in adult human skeletal muscle extracts. Levels of total protein, neurofilament protein and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity are all increased approx. 2 to 3-fold at 200 micrograms extract/ml medium. Culture survival is also extended from an average of 21 days to more than 30 days. Extracts prepared from skeletal muscle biopsies of motor neurone disease (MND) patients do not differ significantly from non-MND patient muscle extracts in their ability to boost the parameter levels or survival of the cultures. The results show no evidence that neuronotrophic factors are lacking in the skeletal muscle of MND patients.
Rogers
A T
AT
Department of Biochemistry, University of Bath, Avon, U.K.
Harrison
R
R
Lunt
G G
GG
Case
C P
CP
Barraclough
C
C
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009046:Motor Neurons; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*
D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase