title: Effects of ciliary neurotrophic factor and leukemia inhibiting factor on oxytocin and vasopressin magnocellular neuron survival in rat and mouse hypothalamic organotypic cultures.
abstract: Organotypic cultures of mouse and rat magnocellular neurons (MCNs) in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS) have served as important experimental models for the molecular and physiological study of this neuronal phenotype. However, it has been difficult to maintain significant numbers of the MCNs, particularly vasopressin MCNs, in these cultures for long periods. In this paper, we describe the use of the neurotrophic factors, leukemia inhibiting factor (LIF) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to rescue rat vasopressin (Avp)- and oxytocin (Oxt)-MCNs from axotomy-induced, programmed cell death in vitro. Quantitative data are presented for the efficacy of the LIF family of neurotrophic factors on the survival of MCNs in three nuclei, the paraventricular (PVN), supraoptic (SON), and accessory (ACC) nuclei in the mouse and rat hypothalamus.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neuroscience Section, Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Shirley B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: House
authors.forename: Congyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gainer
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019771:Axotomy / Q000379:methods; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology*; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000378:metabolism; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D009481:Neurophysins; D014667:Vasopressins; D010121:Oxytocin