title: Neurotrophins increase motoneurons' ability to innervate skeletal muscle fibers in rat spinal cord--human muscle cocultures.
abstract: Neurotrophins, nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), neurotrophin-5 (NT-5) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), were studied in vitro in a coculture model of human skeletal muscle myotubes and rat embryo spinal cord explants, which enables the different steps of functional innervation to be followed, including neurite outgrowth, synapse formation and induction of contractile activity. We found that NT-3, NT-5, BDNF, but not NGF simultaneously induced a significant increase in the number and length of neurites emerging from spinal cord explants, the number of endplates per muscle fiber, and the area of innervated muscle fibers around each spinal cord explant. These results suggest that neurotrophins NT-3, NT-5 and BDNF enhance spinal cord motoneurons potential of innervation.
authors.affiliation: Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg, U.F.R. des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Département d'Immunologie, Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Croizat
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lagrange
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Warter
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poindron
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002452:Cell Count; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D006801:Humans; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016501:Neurites / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D020933:Neurotrophin 3; C071951:neurotrophin 5