title: Nerve Growth Factor is Required for Induction of c-Fos Immunoreactivity by Serum, Depolarization, Cyclic AMP or Trauma in Cultured Rat Sympathetic Neurons.
abstract: Nerve growth factor (NGF) induces transient Fos-immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) independently of any other factor, both in newly isolated rat sympathetic neurons and in established cultures after NGF deprivation. The same proportion of neurons that express Fos-IR in response to NGF also survive. In addition to direct stimulation of Fos-IR expression, the presence or recent exposure to NGF is required to obtain Fos-IR expression by other stimuli. In newly isolated neurons no Fos-IR is detected in response to stimulation by serum alone and a response to depolarization or cyclic AMP is obtained only if neurons are stimulated within a short period after ganglion excision. In established cultures none of these stimuli, nor the trauma of cutting neurites or spiking cell bodies with a microinjection needle induce Fos-IR unless NGF is present or had been removed for <8 - 16 h. The lack of response is not due to a general decrease in the rate of protein or RNA synthesis. These findings show that in regenerating sympathetic neurons NGF induces c-Fos and suggest that NGF may activate a master trigger that is required for c-Fos expression to be induced by other stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buckmaster
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Nobes
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tolkovsky