title: Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) enhances sympathetic neurite growth in rat hearts at early developmental stages.
abstract: Molecular signaling of sympathetic innervation of myocardium is an unresolved issue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of neurotrophic factors on sympathetic neurite growth towards cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes (CMs) and sympathetic neurons (SNs) were isolated from neonatal rat hearts and superior cervical ganglia, and were co-cultured, either in a random or localized way. Neurite growth from SNs toward CMs was assessed by immunohistochemistry for neurofilament M and α-actinin in response to neurotrophic factors-nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and a chemical repellent, semaphorin 3A. As a result, GDNF as well as NGF and BDNF stimulated neurite growth. GDNF enhanced neurite outgrowth even under the NGF-depleted culture condition, excluding an indirect effect of GDNF via NGF. Quantification of mRNA and protein by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry at different developmental stages revealed that GDNF is abundantly expressed in the hearts of embryos and neonates, but not in adult hearts. GDNF plays an important role in inducing cardiac sympathetic innervation at the early developmental stages. A possible role in (re)innervation of injured or transplanted or cultured and transplanted myocardium may deserve investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Jong-Kook
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takagishi
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Opthof
authors.forename: Xianming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Itsuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kodama
mesh_terms: D000185:Actinin; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D005724:Ganglia / Q000166:cytology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D016501:Neurites / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; C495041:Gdnf protein, rat; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D000185:Actinin; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor