title: Postnatal changes in nerve growth factor and brain derived neurotrophic factor levels in the retina, visual cortex, and geniculate nucleus in rats with retinitis pigmentosa.
abstract: Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats are a well established animal model of inherited retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Using RCS rats we examined the distribution of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the visual cortex, geniculate nucleus and retina at three different postnatal ages. It was found that the retina of rats with RP expresses low amounts of NGF and BDNF in young and adult life. Altered levels of these factors were found in the visual cortex and in the geniculate nucleus. Our findings indicate that NGF and BDNF are differentially affected in the visual system of developing and adult RCS rats, suggesting that neurotrophins may be implicated in the pathogenesis of inherited RP.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Neurobiologia e Medicina Molecolare, CNR Rome, viale Marx 15, Italy.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Amendola
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aloe
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor