title: Cellular aspects of trophic actions in the nervous system.
abstract: During the past three decades the number of molecules exhibiting trophic actions in the brain has increased drastically. These molecules promote and/or control proliferation, differentiation, migration, and survival (sometimes even the death) of their target cells. In this review a comprehensive overview of small diffusible factors showing trophic actions in the central nervous system (CNS) is given. The factors discussed are neurotrophins, epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, insulin-like growth factors, ciliary neurotrophic factor and related molecules, glial-derived growth factor and related molecules, transforming growth factor-beta and related molecules, neurotransmitters, and hormones. All factors are discussed with respect to their trophic actions, their expression patterns in the brain, and molecular aspects of their receptors and intracellular signaling pathways. It becomes evident that there does not exist "the" trophic factor in the CNS but rather a multitude of them interacting with each other in a complicated network of trophic actions forming and maintaining the adult nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Wesley Woods Laboratory for Brain Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Weisenhorn
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roback
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Wainer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000502:physiology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D013002:Somatomedins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor