ProNGF induces TNFalpha-dependent death of retinal ganglion cells through a p75NTR non-cell-autonomous signaling pathway

Neurotrophin binding to the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) activates neuronal apoptosis following adult central nervous system injury, but the underlying cellular mechanisms remain poorly defined. In this study, we show that the proform of nerve growth factor (proNGF) induces death of retinal...

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Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-02, Vol.107 (8), p.3817-3822
Main Authors: Lebrun-Julien, Frédéric, Bertrand, Mathieu J, De Backer, Olivier, Stellwagen, David, Morales, Carlos R, Di Polo, Adriana, Barker, Philip A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport - metabolism
Animals
Apoptosis
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Transgenic
Nerve Growth Factor - metabolism
Nerve Growth Factor - pharmacology
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor - metabolism
Retinal Ganglion Cells - drug effects
Retinal Ganglion Cells - physiology
Signal Transduction
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - genetics
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - physiology
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Summary:Neurotrophin binding to the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) activates neuronal apoptosis following adult central nervous system injury, but the underlying cellular mechanisms remain poorly defined. In this study, we show that the proform of nerve growth factor (proNGF) induces death of retinal ganglion cells in adult rodents via a p75(NTR)-dependent signaling mechanism. Expression of p75(NTR) in the adult retina is confined to Müller glial cells; therefore we tested the hypothesis that proNGF activates a non-cell-autonomous signaling pathway to induce retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. Consistent with this, we show that proNGF induced robust expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) in Müller cells and that genetic or biochemical ablation of TNFalpha blocked proNGF-induced death of retinal neurons. Mice rendered null for p75(NTR), its coreceptor sortilin, or the adaptor protein NRAGE were defective in proNGF-induced glial TNFalpha production and did not undergo proNGF-induced retinal ganglion cell death. We conclude that proNGF activates a non-cell-autonomous signaling pathway that causes TNFalpha-dependent death of retinal neurons in vivo.
ISSN:1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0909276107