title: Expression of human nerve growth factor receptor on cells derived from all three germ layers.
abstract: Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a protein which promotes the survival and differentiation of neuronal cells in vitro and plays an important role in neuronal development. In this study, we have examined the expression of the receptor for NGF (NGFR) in human neuronal and nonneuronal cells, both in tissue culture and in vivo. In addition to cell lines derived from neuroblastoma, astrocytoma, and melanoma, all of which share a common neuroectodermal origin, NGFR was detected in a number of cultured cells of mesenchymal, epithelial, and hematopoietic derivation. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that NGFR is expressed in several nonneural human tissues, and the cell types in which NGFR was found include derivatives from all three germ layers. Thus, our findings demonstrate that NGFR is much more widely expressed in human cells and tissues than was previously thought.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Human Cancer Immunology, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York 10021.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Rettig
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Chesa
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Old
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006382:Hemadsorption; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000166:cytology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor