Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promote the survival of corticospinal motor neurons of neonatal rats in vitro.
We have used enriched dissociated, low density cultures of neonatal rat corticospinal motor neurons to evaluate the survival-promoting effect of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). Our current findings demonstrated that CNTF promoted the survival of corticospinal motor neurons, in the same fashion and at an equivalent potency, as was previously described using a different assay system. Among the other factors tested, we also found that NT-4 and GDNF increased the number of surviving neurons in a dose-dependent manner, whereas NGF, BDNF and NT-3 showed no survival promoting effect on corticospinal motor neurons.
Junger
H
H
Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0506, USA.
Varon
S
S
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C495041:Gdnf protein, rat; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D020933:Neurotrophin 3; C073922:neurotrophin 4