In vivo neurotrophic effects of GDNF on neonatal and adult facial motor neurons

MOTOR neurons require neurotrophic factor(s) for their survival during development and for maintenance of function in adulthood 1–3 . In vivo studies have shown that motor neurons respond to a variety of molecules, including ciliary neurotrophic factor, members of the neurotrophin family, and the in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1995-01, Vol.373 (6512), p.341-344
Main Authors: Yan, Qiao, Matheson, Christine, Lopez, Oscar T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Biological Transport
Cell Death - drug effects
Cellular biology
Choline O-Acetyltransferase - metabolism
Facial Nerve - cytology
Facial Nerve - drug effects
Female
Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
letter
Motor Neurons - drug effects
multidisciplinary
Nerve Growth Factors - pharmacology
Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism
Nerve Tissue Proteins - pharmacology
Neurons
Rats
Recombinant Proteins
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:MOTOR neurons require neurotrophic factor(s) for their survival during development and for maintenance of function in adulthood 1–3 . In vivo studies have shown that motor neurons respond to a variety of molecules, including ciliary neurotrophic factor, members of the neurotrophin family, and the insulin growth factor IGF-1 (refs 3–13). Here we investigate the potential motor neuron neurotrophic effects of glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), initially identified as a neurotrophic factor for substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons 14 . We find that GDNF is retrogradely transported, in a receptor-mediated fashion, by spinal cord motor neurons in neonatal rats. Local application of GDNF to the transected facial nerve prevents the massive motor neuron cell death and atrophy that normally follows axotomy in the neonatal period. In adult rats, GDNF administered locally or systemically can markedly attenuate the lesion-induced decrease of choline acetyl-transferase immunoreactivity in the facial nucleus. Our data indicate that GDNF has very profound neurotrophic effects in vivo on developing as well as on adult motor neurons, and is the most potent motor neuron trophic factor found so far.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/373341a0