During development, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in higher vertebrates extend their axons centrally to the spinal cord through the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) and peripherally to muscle and skin targets. After entering the spinal cord, DRG axons project into the dorsal mantle layer. In this review, we focus on evidence showing the role for netrin-1 in forming sensory axonal trajectories...

The actions of diazepam and its p-chloro-derivative Ro 5-4864 were compared on mouse spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion neurons in cell culture. Diazepam enhanced but Ro 5-4864 reduced iontophoretic GABA responses in a concentration-dependent manner. Both diazepam and Ro 5-4864 limited sustained, high frequency repetitive firing of spinal cord neurons but diazepam was more potent. Ro 5-4864 w...

In zebrafish, cells at the lateral edge of the neural plate become Rohon-Beard primary sensory neurons or neural crest. Delta/Notch signaling is required for neural crest formation. ngn1 is expressed in primary neurons; inhibiting Ngn1 activity prevents Rohon-Beard cell formation but not formation of other primary neurons. Reducing Ngn1 activity in embryos lacking Delta/Notch signaling restores...

The binding and axonal transport of six lectins were studied in the peripheral nervous system of adult mice by an immunocytochemical method. After injection into muscle and subcutaneous sites, lectins known to bind preferentially N-acetylglucosamine or mannose sugars were transported axonally to ventral horn and dorsal root ganglion neurons. Twelve to 96 hr postinjection, these lectins were bou...

Chronic pain, a common clinical symptom, is often treated inadequately or ineffectively in part due to the incomplete understanding of molecular mechanisms that initiate and maintain this disorder. Newly identified noncoding RNAs govern gene expression. Recent studies have shown that peripheral noxious stimuli drive expressional changes in noncoding RNAs and that these changes are associated wi...

No direct evidence has been found for expression of functional AMPA receptors by dorsal root ganglion neurons despite immunocytochemical evidence suggesting they are present. Here we report evidence for expression of functional AMPA receptors by a subpopulation of dorsal root ganglion neurons. The AMPA receptors are most prominently located near central terminals of primary afferent fibers. AMP...

The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) plays important roles under physiological and pathological conditions such as traumatic brain injury, neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain. In the present study, we set out to study the role of lysosomal vesicles on ATP release from the dorsal root ganglion neurons. We found that the lysosomal vesicles, which contain the quinacrine-positive fluorescence and ex...

In order to analyse the spinal tract formation at early stages of development in avian embryos, chick-quail spinal cord chimeras were prepared and species-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAb) were developed. MAbs CN, QN and CQN uniquely stained chick, quail, and both chick and quail nervous tissues, respectively. All three antibodies appeared to bind to the same membrane molecule, but to differ...

Despite their extensive sequence identities at the amino acid level (approximately 55%), NGF and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) display distinct neuronal specificity toward neurons of both the PNS and CNS. To explore which region(s) within these neurotrophic factors might determine their differential actions on various subpopulations of peripheral neurons, a systematic series (homolog...