CNTF promotes the survival of neonatal rat corticospinal neurons in vitro.
Corticospinal neurons were identified in cell cultures of neonatal rat cortex by immunostaining of cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), retrogradely transported from the cervical part of the spinal cord. The CTB-immunoreactive neurons were larger than the neurons in the overall (unstained) neuronal population and represented a small fraction of it (average of 0.3%) after 6 hours in vitro. The number of both total and CTB-labeled neurons declined progressively with time in culture. The neuronal death was, however, markedly faster in the CTB-labeled neuronal population than in the overall neuronal population. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promoted the survival of CTB-positive corticospinal neurons in a dose-dependent manner; with CNTF, the death rate of the CTB-labeled neurons became identical to that of the overall population.
Magal
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Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
Louis
J C
JC
Oudega
M
M
Varon
S
S
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects
D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C050310:cholera toxin, B subunit (50-64); D002772:Cholera Toxin