title: Identification of a 12.5-kD protein from caudate-putamen nucleus as a dopaminergic neuronotrophic factor.
abstract: The effect of the extract from caudate-putamen nucleus of newborn rats (CPe) on the dopaminergic (DA) neurons has been studied. An MTT colorimetric microassay measuring optical densities for the growth of DA neuron cultures reveals a significant increase in growth for cultures with CPe as compared to those without CPe (p < 0.05). Rhodamine retrograde-prelabelled DA neurons were cultured on a Phastgel containing all the electrophoretically separated protein bands from CPe, and able to fish out from it their own trophic factor, a 12.5-kD protein band. The survived neurons at the 12.5-kD protein band were immunostained positive with anti-dopamine antibody. Co-culturing the 12.5 kD-containing gel strip with explants from substantia nigra at a close distance for a week revealed anti-dopamine immunopositive neurites outgrowing from the explants only towards the 12.5-kD gel strip. These results indicate that a 12.5-kD protein from the CPe is capable of maintaining the survival of DA neurons of the substantia nigra and promoting their neurite outgrowth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Hong Kong.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D011699:Putamen / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D004298:Dopamine