We examined the expression of the three Trk receptors for neurotrophins (TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC) in the extraocular motor nuclei of the adult cat by using antibodies directed against the full-Trk proteins in combination with horseradish peroxidase retrograde tracing. The three receptors were present in all neuronal populations investigated, including abducens motoneurons and internuclear neurons,...

Mice lacking the POU domain-containing transcription factor Brn-3a have several neuronal deficits. In the present paper, we show that Brn-3a plays two distinct roles during development of the trigeminal ganglion. In this ganglion, neurons expressing the neurotrophin receptors, TrkB and TrkC, are born between E9.5 and E11.5. In the absence of Brn-3a, very few neurons ever express TrkC, but TrkB-...

Neuronal survival, growth and differentiation in the developing brain and spinal cord are dependant upon the presence of specific growth factors called neurotrophins. These include nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and neurotrophin-4/5 and function to regulate neuronal survival and differentiation during the development of the vertebrate...

PURPOSE To determine which neurotrophins (NTs)-nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophin (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT3), and neurotrophin-4 (NT4)-and their receptors (NTrs) TrkA, TrkB, TrkC, and p75 are present in rat conjunctiva and cultured rat goblet cells (CGCs) and whether NTs stimulate glycoconjugate secretion or cell proliferation. METHODS Western blot analysis and immunofluo...

PURPOSE Given that nerve growth factor has previously been shown to be involved in breast cancer progression, we have tested here the hypothesis that the other neurotrophins (NT) are expressed and have an influence in breast tumor growth. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), NT-3 and NT-4/5, as well as the neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR), TrkB, and Tr...

Rubrospinal neurons (RSNs) undergo a marked atrophy in the second week after cervical axotomy. This delayed atrophy is accompanied by a decline in the expression of regeneration-associated genes such as GAP-43 and Talpha1-tubulin, which are initially elevated after injury. These responses may reflect a deficiency in the trophic support of axotomized RSNs. To test this hypothesis, we first analy...

The products of the tyrosine kinase trk family of proto-oncogenes bind neurotrophins (NTFs) and are components of their high-affinity receptors. The trk gene encodes for the TrkA transmembrane glycoprotein, which functions as a receptor for nerve growth factor (NGF). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) are the preferred ligands for TrkB. and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) ...

Previous work suggested qualitatively different effects of neurotrophin 3 (NT-3) in cochlear innervation patterning in different null mutants. We now show that all NT-3 null mutants have a similar phenotype and lose all neurons in the basal turn of the cochlea. To understand these longitudinal deficits in neurotrophin mutants, we have compared the development of the deficit in the NT-3 mutant t...

Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a devastating developmental and progressive peripheral neuropathy caused by a mutation in the gene inhibitor of kappa B kinase complex-associated protein (IKBKAP). To identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that cause FD, we generated mice in which Ikbkap expression is ablated in the peripheral nervous system and identify the steps in peripheral nervous syst...

Although neurotrophins (NTs) have been extensively studied as neuronal survival factors in some areas of the central nervous system, little is known about their function or cellular targets in the hypothalamus. To understand their functional significance and sites of action on hypothalamic neurons, we examined the effects of their cognate ligands on neuropeptide content and messenger RNA (mRNA)...