Cholinergic differentiation factors (CDFs) suppress noradrenergic properties and induce cholinergic properties in sympathetic neurons. The CDFs leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) bind to a LIFR.gp130 receptor complex to activate Jak/signal transducers and activators of transcription and Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathways. Little is know...

The neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes in the central neural system (CNS) are vital for our survival. Yet we know very little about the regulation of the cells and their development. To investigate this deeper two growth factors, Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF) and Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP), previously know to somehow be involved in the differentiation of neural stem cells were ...

PURPOSE In response to acute damage, Muller glia in the retina have been shown to dramatically alter their expression of filamentous proteins. Since damaged retinal cells are known to produce growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF), the altered expression of filaments in Muller glia in response to retinal dam...

Obesity plays a central role in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. We therefore examined the effects of a modified form of ciliary neurotrophic factor [Axokine, which is hereafter referred to as ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF)Ax15], which uses a leptin-like mechanism to reduce body weight, in the db/db murine model of type 2 diabetes. In previous studies, weight loss ...

The earliest radial glia are neural stem cells that guide neural cell migration away from ventricular zones. Subsequently, radial glia become lineage restricted during development before they differentiate into more mature cell types in the CNS. We have previously shown that subpopulations of radial glial cells express markers for glial and neuronal restricted precursors (GRPs and NRPs) in expr...

PURPOSE In adult rats, intravitreal injections of the Rho-GTPase inhibitor C3 transferase (BA-210), or a cocktail of recombinant ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and a cyclic AMP analogue (CPTcAMP), increase retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and axonal regeneration. Here we examined whether these treatments also affect the dendritic architecture of regrowing RGCs. METHODS In Fischer F344...

Human ciliary neurotrophic factor (hCNTF), which promotes the cell survival and differentiation of motor and other neurons, is a protein belonging structurally to the a-helical cytokine family. hCNTF was subjected to threedimensional structure modeling and site-directed mutagenesis to analyze its structure-function relationship. The replacement of Lys-155 with any other amino acid residue resul...

AIM To study the effects of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) on the expressions of gentamicin ototoxicity in guinea pigs. METHODS The auditory function of pigmented guinea pigs was examined using auditory brainstem response (ABR), cochlea microphonic potential (CM), and action potential of auditory nerve (AP). RESULTS In animals injected gentamicin (80 mg.kg-1.d-1, i.m.), ABR threshold be...

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase is a key regulator of several cellular functions, including cell growth and differentiation. Because hypothalamic mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling has been implicated as a target of leptin in the regulation of energy balance, we investigated its role in obesity-induced leptin resistance. In contrast to rats maintained on a low-fat (LF) diet for 3...