Elsevier

Developmental Biology

Volume 179, Issue 1, 10 October 1996, Pages 79-90
Developmental Biology

Regular Article
Transforming Growth Factor-β Is a Survival Factor for Neonate Cortical Neurons: Coincident Expression of Type I Receptors in Developing Cerebral Cortices

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Abstract

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a multifunctional polypeptide which plays a crucial role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and organogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the expression of signaling receptors for TGF-β in developing mice byin situhybridization, revealing a significant difference in the expression of TGF-β type I and type II receptors. Unexpectedly, the TGF-β type I receptors were exclusively expressed without any detectable expression of the TGF-β type II receptors in developing cerebral cortices. In primary cortical neurons, a neutralizing antibody for TGF-β significantly reduced the expression ofbcl-2and subsequently induced neuronal cell death, indicating that TGF-β functions as a survival factor for cortical neuronsin vitro.Consistent with the result ofin situhybridization, the TGF-β type I but not type II receptors were detected in primary cortical neurons by affinity crosslink and RT–PCR analyses. The concomitant expression of TGF-β2 and the TGF-β type I receptors in developing cerebral cortices suggests that the TGF-β signaling system plays a pivotal role in neuronal differentiation and that unidentified components may be involved in TGF-β signaling in the development of the central nervous system.

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1

Present address: The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, 1230 York Ave., New York, NY 10021-6399.

2

To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: 81-3-3579-4776; E-mail: [email protected].