Spinal cord motoneurons express p75NGFR and p145trkB mRNA in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(93)90304-6

Brain Research

Volume 621, Issue 1, 3 September 1993, Pages 111-115

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(93)90304-6 Get rights and content

Abstract

In the present study, in situ hybridization was used to examine the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor (p75^NGFR), trk (p140^trk) and trkB (p145^trkB) mRNA in spinal cord sections from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We report that the expression of p75^NGFR and p145^trkB mRNA is elevated in alpha motoneurons in ALS sections. However, p140^trk mRNA was not expressed in either ALS or control sections.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a late-onset progressively paralyzing neurodegenerative disease, which is fatal and characterized by motor neuron degeneration in several regions of the nervous system including the cerebral cortex, brain stem and spinal cord (Rowland and Shneider, 2001; Copray et al., 2003). A higher level of p75NTR was noticed in spinal motor neurons from patients with ALS (Lowry et al., 2001; Seeburger et al., 1993). Furthermore, re-expression of p75NTR was also found in spinal motor neurons from transgenic ALS mice overexpressing mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1G93A) which is associated with human ALS (Lowry et al., 2001; Copray et al., 2003; Gurney et al., 1994).
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: This work was supported by PHS Grant NS30248 and the local Greater Philadelphia ALS Chapter (J.E.S.).

^†: We thank the local ALS chapter, the Hahnemann ALS clinic and Dr. Christos Katsetos for their support, Dr. Timothy Cope for a critical review of the manuscript, and Antony Gray for technical assistance. We would also like to thank Drs. E. Shooter for the p75^NGFR cDNA and L. Parada for the p140^trk cDNA. The p145^trkB was obtained from the American Tissue Culture Collection.

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Spinal cord motoneurons express p75NGFR and p145trkB mRNA in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

Biol. Chem.

Cell

Neuron

Neuron

Cell

Cell

Cell

Brain Res.

Neuron

Cell

Devl., Biol.

No re- expression of high-affinity nerve growth factor binding sites in spinal motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Eur. Neurol.

High-affinity NGF binding requires coexpression of the trk proto-oncogene and the low-affinity NGF receptor

Nature

Spinal cord motoneurons express p75^NGFR and p145^trkB mRNA in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis