title: Effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on glial cells and serotonergic neurones during development.
abstract: Serotonergic neurones are among the first to develop in the central nervous system. Their survival and maturation is promoted by a variety of factors, including serotonin itself, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and S100beta, an astrocyte-specific Ca(2+) binding protein. Here, we used BDNF-deficient mice and cell cultures of embryonic raphe neurones to determine whether or not BDNF effects on developing serotonergic raphe neurones are influenced by its action on glial cells. In BDNF-/- mice, the number of serotonin-immunoreactive neuronal somata, the amount of the serotonin transporter, the serotonin content in the striatum and the hippocampus, and the content of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in all brain regions analysed were increased. By contrast, reduced immunoreactivity was found for myelin basic protein (MBP) in all brain areas including the raphe and its target region, the hippocampus. Exogenously applied BDNF increased the number of MBP-immunopositive cells in the respective culture systems. The raphe area displayed selectively reduced immunoreactivity for S100beta. Accordingly, S100beta was increased in primary cultures of pure astrocytes by exogenous BDNF. In glia-free neuronal cultures prepared from the embryonic mouse raphe, addition of BDNF supported the survival of serotonergic neurones and increased the number of axon collaterals and primary dendrites. The latter effect was inhibited by the simultaneous addition of S100beta. These results suggest that the presence of BDNF is not a requirement for the survival and maturation of serotonergic neurones in vivo. BDNF is, however, required for the local expression of S100beta and production of MBP. Therefore BDNF might indirectly influence the development of the serotonergic system by stimulating the expression of S100beta in astrocytes and the production MBP in oligodendrocytes.
authors.affiliation: AG Functional Cell Biology/Centre for Anatomy, Charité-Hochschulmedizin Berlin, Phillippstrasse 12, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Djalali
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Höltje
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grosse
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rothe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stroh
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grosse
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hellweg
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grantyn
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hörtnagl
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ahnert-Hilger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493231:Slc6a4 protein, mouse; D012701:Serotonin