How to repair the injured spinal cord is a question that scientists have struggled with for decades. The answer is of course still a mystery. But ask people on the street for their opinion and they will likely offer something like “stem cells” as the solution. I find it amusing (and honestly, a bit annoying) that family and friends continue to ask me if there is anything new with stem cells. My...

At vanishingly low concentrations, factors of the neurotrophin family (NGF, BDNF, NT3 and NT4/5) can promote neuronal survival or death. Many investigations indicate that the survival-promoting signals of neurotrophins are generated by activation of Trk tyrosine kinase receptors and that their death-promoting signals are generated by activation of p75 neurotrophin receptors (p75(NTR)). Despite ...

The survival of axotomized RGCs was increased by intravitreal NT-4/5 given by repeated injections or osmotic minipumps, but the effects were less complete than predicted. Compared to a single injection of the neurotrophin on day 0, second injections on days 3 or 7 only sustained an additional 10-20% of the RGCs on day 10. Minipumps augmented RGC survival up to 4-fold (50%) at 2 weeks but most R...

Target-derived neurotrophins regulate neuronal survival and growth by interacting with cell-surface tyrosine kinase receptors. The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75 NTR) is coexpressed with Trk receptors in long-range projection neurons, in which it facilitates neurotrophin binding to Trk and enhances Trk activity. Here, we show that TrkA and TrkB receptors undergo robust ligand-dependent ubiquiti...

The neurotrophin gene family comprises four structurally related basic proteins, NGF, BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4/5. Despite high structural homology, these neurotrophins operate via different high-affinity membrane receptors, differ in target specificity, patterns of spatial and temporal distribution and responses to injury of the neuronal tissue. Based on the recent data, some aspects of BDNF and NT-...

How to repair the injured spinal cord is a question that scientists have struggled with for decades. The answer is of course still a mystery. But ask people on the street for their opinion and they will likely offer something like “stem cells” as the solution. I find it amusing (and honestly, a bit annoying) that family and friends continue to ask me if there is anything new with stem cells. My...

The exchange of trophic factors by motor neurons and muscle fibers maintains the neuromuscular junction. Neurotrophic factors (muscle-derived trophic factors acting on motor neurons) and myotrophic factors (motor neuron-derived trophic factors acting on muscle fibers) may play a role in the generation of secondary myotubes and the maturation of neuromuscular junctions during development. It has...

T he field of neurotrophin biology has made great advances in recent years to include a greater understanding of signaling pathways and broader understanding of the diverse biological roles of these molecules. This review will focus primarily on the nerve growth factor family of neurotrophins and how recent descriptions of the molecular function of both the ligands and the receptors have helped...

Background Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), a member of the neurotrophin family of neurotrophic factors, displays profound neuromodulatory functions in the normal and in the diseased brain. Under physiological conditions, NT-3 is produced by neuronal cells and also by local glial cells. We focused our investigation on the ability of astrocytes to synthesize NT-3 and, additionally, on the active involveme...