The expression profiles of neurotrophins and their receptors in rat and chicken tissues during development

doi:10.1016/S0304-3940(01)01603-2

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 301, Issue 2, 30 March 2001, Pages 107-110

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(01)01603-2 Get rights and content

Abstract

Neurotrophic factors are target-derived proteins that promote the survival and differentiation of the innervating neurons. Increasing evidence indicate the involvement of these factors and receptors during the formation and maturation of the neuromuscular junction. To gain further insight on the expression pattern of these factors and receptors in developing spinal cord and skeletal muscle during the critical stages of synapse formation, a systematic study was performed with chicken and rat tissues using Northern blot analysis. The expression of all the neurotrophins was detected in skeletal muscle early in development, coincidental with the appearance of their corresponding receptors in the spinal cord. Taken together, the similar regulatory patterns observed in both rat and chicken tissues suggest that the potential roles of neurotrophins at the neuromuscular synapse are conserved throughout evolution.

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Karl Tsim for helpful discussion throughout the course of this study. The study was supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (HKUST 568/95M).

References (20)

M.R. Bennett
Synapse formation molecules in muscle and autonomic ganglia: the dual constraint hypothesis
Prog. Neurobiol.
(1999)
M. Gonzalez et al.
Disruption of Trkb-mediated signaling induces disassembly of postsynaptic receptor clusters at neuromuscular junctions
Neuron
(1999)
N.Y. Ip et al.
Neurotrophic factor receptors: just like other growth factor and cytokine receptors?
Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.
(1994)
D.R. Kaplan et al.
Neurotrophin signal transduction in the nervous system
Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.
(2000)
K.O. Lai et al.
Cloning and expression of a novel neurotrophin, NT-7, from Carp
Mol. Cell. Neurosci.
(1998)
M.A. Ruegg et al.
Agrin orchestrates synaptic differentiation at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction
Trends Neurosci.
(1998)
M.A. Smith et al.
Selective regulation of agrin mRNA induction and alternative splicing in PC12 cells by Ras-dependent actions of nerve growth factor
J. Biol. Chem.
(1997)
W.D. Snider
Functions of the neurotrophins during nervous system development: what the knockouts are teaching us
Cell
(1994)
G.D. Fischbach et al.
ARIA: a neuromuscular junction neuregulin
Annu. Rev. Neurosci.
(1997)
A.K.Y. Fu et al.
Muscle-derived neurotrophin-3 increases the aggregation of acetylcholine receptors in neuron-muscle co-cultures
NeuroReport
(1997)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (54)

Muscle specific nucleus ambiguus neurons isolation and culturing
2016, Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Peripheral nerve injury leads to a regenerative state. However, the reinnervation process is highly non-selective. Growing axons are often misrouted and establish aberrant synapsis to abductor or adductor muscles. Determining the complex properties of abductor and adductor motoneurons in a neuron culture, may lay the groundwork for future studies on axon guidance, leading to a clinical treatment for a selective reinnervation.
In the present study we develop a neuron culture protocol to isolate recurrent laryngeal nerve abductor and adductor motoneurons in order to study their unique properties.
Comparison with existing methods the best period to perform the present protocol for postnatal rat cranial motoneurons isolation was determined. In addition, the method allows identification of specific motoneurons from other primary motoneurons and interneurons within brainstem.
The present protocol will allow investigators to perform targeted and novel studies of the mechanisms of peripheral nerve regeneration.
Changes in neurotrophic factors of adult rat laryngeal muscles during nerve regeneration
2016, Neuroscience
Citation Excerpt :
It is possible that due to the 5 mm resection in the Wang study, reinnervation occurred but was delayed, hence the increase in BDNF was delayed as well. NGF and BDNF have been shown in postnatal animals to maintain the neuromuscular connections established during development (Wheeler and Bothwell, 1992; Wang et al., 1995; Ip et al., 2001; Je et al., 2012). Retrograde transport of NGF and BDNF to the neuron cell body has been reported (Heumann et al., 1984; McKay et al., 1996; Curtis et al., 1998; Kishino and Nakayama, 2003).
Injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) leads to the loss of ipsilateral laryngeal fold movement, with dysphonia, and occasionally dysphagia. Functional movement of the vocal folds is never restored due to misrouting of regenerating axons to agonist and antagonist laryngeal muscles. Changes of neurotrophic factor expression within denervated muscles occur after nerve injury and may influence nerve regeneration, axon guidance and muscle reinnervation. This study investigates the expression of certain neurotrophic factors in the laryngeal muscles during the course of axonal regeneration using RT-PCR. The timing of neurotrophic factor expression was correlated to the reinnervation of the laryngeal muscles by motor axons. Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Netrin-1 (NTN-1) increased their expression levels in laryngeal muscles after nerve section and during regeneration of RLN. The upregulation of trophic factors returned to control levels following regeneration of RLN. The expression levels of the neurotrophic factors were correlated with the innervation of regenerating axons into the denervated muscles. The results suggest that certain neurotrophic factor expression is strongly correlated to the reinnervation pattern of the regenerating RLN. These factors may be involved in guidance and neuromuscular junction formation during nerve regeneration. In the future, their manipulation may enhance the selective reinnervation of the larynx.
Rapid transient isoform-specific neuregulin1 transcription in motor neurons is regulated by neurotrophic factors and axon-target interactions
2015, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
The neuregulins (NRGs) are a family of alternatively spliced factors that play important roles in nervous system development and disease. In motor neurons, NRG1 expression is regulated by activity and neurotrophic factors, however, little is known about what controls isoform-specific transcription. Here we show that NRG1 expression in the chick embryo increases in motor neurons that have extended their axons and that limb bud ablation before motor axon outgrowth prevents this induction, suggesting a trophic role from the developing limb. Consistently, NRG1 induction after limb bud ablation can be rescued by adding back the neurotrophic factors BDNF and GDNF. Mechanistically, BDNF induces a rapid and transient increase in type I and type III NRG1 mRNAs that peak at 4 h in rat embryonic ventral spinal cord cultures. Blocking MAPK or PI3K signaling or blocking transcription with Actinomycin D blocks BDNF induced NRG1 gene induction. BDNF had no effect on mRNA degradation, suggesting that transcriptional activation rather than message stability is important. Furthermore, BDNF activates a reporter construct that includes 700 bp upstream of the type I NRG1 start site. Protein synthesis is also required for type I NRG1 mRNA transcription as cycloheximide produced a super-induction of type I, but not type III NRG1 mRNA, possibly through a mechanism involving sustained activation of MAPK and PI3K. These results reveal the existence of highly responsive, transient transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that differentially modulate NRG1 isoform expression as a function of extracellular and intracellular signaling cascades and mediated by neurotrophic factors and axon–target interactions.
Comparative proteomic analysis of egg white proteins during the rapid embryonic growth period by combinatorial peptide ligand libraries
2015, Poultry Science
Egg white proteins provide essential nutrients and antimicrobial protection during embryonic development. Although various biological functions of major egg white proteins have been investigated via embryogenesis, understanding of global changes in low-abundance proteins has been limited. In the current study, a proteomic analysis of low-abundance egg white proteins was conducted using combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLL), two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight with two mass analyzers for tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI–TOF MS/MS) during the rapid embryonic growth period. Significant increases in the relative abundance of 88 protein spots (P ≤ 0.05), of which 47 spots were found to correspond to 10 proteins from 8 protein families were identified over 16 d incubation. During this developmental process, the protein concentration increased and the amount of albumin solid material decreased in the residual egg white. Clusterin precursors were observed over a wide range of pH values and the tenp protein increased continuously during embryonic development. Low-abundance proteins were identified in a comparison of optimal incubation conditions to the altered conditions of 2 control groups to better understand the function of these proteins in egg whites. Collectively, these findings provide insight into the supportive role of the egg white during embryonic development, enabling a broader understanding of chick embryogenesis.
Regulation of GABA<inf>A</inf>Rs by phosphorylation
2015, Advances in Pharmacology
Citation Excerpt :
Further challenges arise from the multiple signaling pathways that converge upon GABAARs, yielding another level of complexity. Indeed, the effects of BDNF on GABAARs are far from clear, probably due to developmental and region-specific expression of both proteins (Ip, Cheung, & Ip, 2001; Mizoguchi, Ishibashi, & Nabekura, 2003; Sathanoori et al., 2004; Webster, Herman, Kleinman, & Shannon, 2006). The overwhelming complexity of GABAARs is multifaceted, owing to their diversity in subunit composition, differential localization and expression as well as posttranslational modifications.
γ-Aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA_ARs) are the principal mediators of fast synaptic inhibition in the brain as well as the low persistent extrasynaptic inhibition, both of which are fundamental to proper brain function. Thus unsurprisingly, deficits in GABA_ARs are implicated in a number of neurological disorders and diseases. The complexity of GABA_AR regulation is determined not only by the heterogeneity of these receptors but also by its posttranslational modifications, the foremost, and best characterized of which is phosphorylation. This review will explore the details of this dynamic process, our understanding of which has barely scratched the surface. GABA_ARs are regulated by a number of kinases and phosphatases, and its phosphorylation plays an important role in governing its trafficking, expression, and interaction partners. Here, we summarize the progress in understanding the role phosphorylation plays in the regulation of GABA_ARs. This includes how phosphorylation can affect the allosteric modulation of GABA_ARs, as well as signaling pathways that affect GABA_AR phosphorylation. Finally, we discuss the dysregulation of GABA_AR phosphorylation and its implication in disease processes.
The challenges of respiratory motor system recovery following cervical spinal cord injury
2014, Progress in Brain Research
High cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) typically results in partial paralysis of the diaphragm due to intrusion of descending inspiratory drive at the level of the phrenic nucleus. The degree to which such paralysis occurs depends on the type, force, level, and extent of trauma produced. While endogenous recovery and plasticity may occur, the resulting respiratory complications can lead to morbidity and death. However, it has been shown that through modification of intrinsic motor neuron properties, or altering the environment localized at the site of SCI, functional recovery and plasticity of the respiratory motor system can be facilitated. The present review emphasizes these factors and correlates it to the treatment of SCI at the level of the somatic nervous system. Despite these promising therapies, functional respiratory motor system recovery following cervical SCI is often minimal. This review thus focuses on possible directions for the field, with emphasis on combinatorial treatment.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

The expression profiles of neurotrophins and their receptors in rat and chicken tissues during development

Abstract

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

Prog. Neurobiol.

Neuron

Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.

Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.

Mol. Cell. Neurosci.

Trends Neurosci.

J. Biol. Chem.

Cell

ARIA: a neuromuscular junction neuregulin

Annu. Rev. Neurosci.

Muscle-derived neurotrophin-3 increases the aggregation of acetylcholine receptors in neuron-muscle co-cultures

NeuroReport