title: Biochemical and anatomical effects of antibodies against nerve growth factor on developing rat sensory ganglia.
abstract: The importance of nerve growth factor (NGF) for the development of sensory ganglia was investigated by injecting rat fetuses (16.50 days of gestation) with a single dose of anti-NGF antiserum. Four months later the treated animals showed a very large decrease in substance P- and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities in dorsal root ganglia and skin with a lesser decrease in trigeminal ganglia. Fluoride-resistant acid phosphatase, substance P-, and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities were greatly decreased in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. No change in neurotensin- and [Met]enkephalin-like immunoreactivities was observed. The anti-NGF antiserum treatment produced a greater than 90% decrease in the number of unmyelinated dorsal root fibers and a 35% decrease in the total number of myelinated fibers. The loss in myelinated fibers was restricted to small-diameter fibers with no change in large-diameter fibers. No change in taste bud morphology was noted, thereby refuting the proposal that anti-NGF antiserum treatment may represent an animal model for familial dysautonomia. The present results indicate that NGF is a necessary requirement for the normal development of a significant population of prenatal rat dorsal root ganglion cells.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012668:Trigeminal Ganglion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors