Glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) was originally identified as a survival factor for midbrain dopaminergic neurons. GDNF and related ligands, neurturin (NRTN), artemin (ARTN) and persephin (PSPN), maintain several neuronal populations in the central nervous systems, including midbrain dopamine neurons and motoneurons. In addition, GDNF, NRTN and ARTN support the survival and re...

Neurotrophin-mediated cell survival and differentiation of vertebrate neurons is caused by ligand-specific binding to the Trk family of tyrosine kinase receptors. However, sites in the neurotrophins responsible for the binding to Trk receptors and the mechanisms whereby this interaction results in receptor activation and biological activity are unknown. Here we show that in nerve growth factor ...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to be crucial for the development of peripheral vestibular neurons. However, the maturation profile of the BDNF signal transducing receptor, tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) in functionally activated otolith-related vestibular nuclear neurons of postnatal rats remains unexplored. In the present study, conscious Sprague-Dawley rats (P4 to adult) were sub...

The family of cytokines signalling through the common receptor subunit gp130 comprises interleukin (IL)-6, IL-11, leukaemia inhibitory factor, oncostatin M, ciliary neurotrophic factor and cardiotrophin-1. These so-called IL-6-type cytokines play an important role in the regulation of complex cellular processes such as gene activation, proliferation and differentiation. The current knowledge on...

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms exert their biological effects through receptors that possess intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. Whether VEGF binding to its receptors recruits insulin receptor substrate (IRS) family of docking proteins to the receptor is not known. Following incubation of mouse kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells with VEGF, we observed an increase in ty...

Activity-dependent insertion of tyrosine kinase receptor type 2 (TrkB receptor) into the plasma membrane can explain, in part, the preferential effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on active neurons; however, the detailed cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this process are still unclear. In our study, we developed a fluorescence ratiometric assay for surface TrkB recepto...

The expression of a large panel of selected genes hypothesized to play a central role in post-traumatic cell death was shown to be differentially altered in response to a precisely controlled, mechanical injury applied to an organotypic slice culture of the rat brain. Within 48 h of injury, the expression of nerve growth factor messenger RNA was significantly increased whereas the levels of bcl...

Although microglia exist as a minor glial cell type in the normal state of brain, they increase number response to various disorders and insults. However, it remains unclear whether proliferate affected area, mechanism proliferation has long attracted attention researchers. We analyzed microglial mitosis using facial nerve transection model which blood–brain barrier is left unimpaired when nerv...

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are multifunctional signaling molecules in embryogenesis. HGF binds to and activates Met receptor tyrosine kinase. The signaling receptor complex for GDNF typically includes both GDNF family receptor alpha1 (GFRalpha1) and Ret receptor tyrosine kinase. GDNF can also signal independently of Ret via GFRalpha1, a...

Insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR), an orphan receptor in the insulin receptor (IR) family of receptor tyrosine kinases, is primarily localized to neural crest-derived sensory neurons during embryonic development. Expression of IRR closely resembles that of the nerve growth factor receptor, TrkA. To analyze the signaling properties and function of IRR in PC12 cells, a TrkB/IRR hybrid recep...