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Science 17 October 1986:
Vol. 234. no. 4774, pp. 352 - 355
DOI: 10.1126/science.3764415
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Articles

Science, Vol 234, Issue 4774, 352-355
Copyright © 1986 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Nerve growth factor gene expression in the developing rat brain

TH Large, SC Bodary, DO Clegg, G Weskamp, U Otten, and LF Reichardt

The regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF) protein and NGF messenger RNA (mRNA) in the developing rat brain has been studied to assess the hypothesis that NGF supports the differentiation of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain. In the adult, the major targets of these neurons, the hippocampus and neocortex, contain the highest concentrations of NGF mRNA, but comparatively low ratios of NGF protein to its mRNA. In contrast, a high concentration of NGF protein and a low concentration of NGF mRNA were seen in the basal forebrain, consistent with retrograde transport of NGF protein into this region from the neocortex and hippocampus. In these two target regions NGF and NGF mRNA were barely detectable at birth, their concentrations increased to a peak at day 21, and then NGF mRNA, but not NGF protein, declined threefold by day 35. NGF accumulation in the basal forebrain paralleled that in the target regions and preceded an increase in choline acetyltransferase, suggesting that the differentiation of cholinergic projection neurons is indeed regulated by retrogradely transported NGF. In addition, high ratios of NGF protein to NGF mRNA, comparable to that in the basal forebrain, were seen in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum, suggesting that NGF may be transported into these regions by unidentified neurons.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
NGF Is Essential for Hippocampal Plasticity and Learning.
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Expression of the Nerve Growth Factor Receptors TrkA and p75NTR in the Visual Cortex of the Rat: Development and Regulation by the Cholinergic Input.
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Nerve Growth Factor Rapidly Induces Prolonged Acetylcholine Release from Cultured Basal Forebrain Neurons: Differentiation between Neuromodulatory and Neurotrophic Influences.
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Regulation of Nerve Growth Factor Release by Nitric Oxide through Cyclic GMP Pathway in Cortical Glial Cells.
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A Role for TrkA during Maturation of Striatal and Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons In Vivo.
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Endogenous FGF-2 Is Important for Cholinergic Sprouting in the Denervated Hippocampus.
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Regulation of Nerve Growth Factor mRNA by Interleukin-1 in Rat Hippocampal Astrocytes Is Mediated by NFkappa B.
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Neurotrophins in Cortical Development.
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A nerve growth factor-induced gene encodes a possible transcriptional regulatory factor.
J Milbrandt (1987)
Science 238, 797-799
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