title: Presence of physiologically stimulated RET in adult rat brain: induction of RET expression during nerve regeneration.
abstract: The product of the RET proto-oncogene is a protein belonging to the receptor-like tyrosine kinase superfamily. RET is expressed in several neural crest-derived cell lineages and has been implicated in the correct development of the peripheral nervous system. To gain further insight into RET function, we investigated the presence of active RET in adult rat tissues. We show, by immunoblotting, that the products of the RET proto-oncogene (p155ret) are present in specific regions of adult rat brain, including the cerebellum, striatum, brainstem, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and olfactory bulb. Moreover, in the cerebellum, p155ret is phosphorylated in tyrosine residues, thus indicating that this brain structure contains p155ret in an activated state. Finally, the presence of RET in motoneurons prompted us to analyze the effects of hypoglossal nerve section on its expression. We observed a dramatic increase in p155ret in the motoneuron nuclei, thus suggesting that RET tyrosine kinase plays a role in the neuronal response to axotomy and/or during nerve regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Colucci-D'Amato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Alessio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Filliatreau
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Florio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Giamberardino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chiappetta
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Franciscis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D007002:Hypoglossal Nerve / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila; C495001:Ret protein, rat