background: peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (pparγ), a member of nuclear receptor superfamily, comprises two isoforms in mouse. these two isoforms are encoded by different mrnas, which are arisen by alternative promoter usage. there are two promoter regions upstream of pparγ gene. a 3 kb fragment, containing several transcription factor binding sites, acts as pparγ1 promoter re...

P75NTR (or CD271) is a member of the Tumor Necrosis Factor receptor (TNFR) super family of transmembrane proteins that share significant homology in their extracellular domains. Subsets of TNF receptors, including CD271, have a cytoplasmic death domain, although CD271 has unique intracellular structure and downstream signaling partners. CD271 is also differentiated from other members of the TNF...

The neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF) regulates neuronal growth, differentiation, and survival during development. However, the precursor of NGF, proNGF, is a potent apoptotic ligand for the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR))-sortilin complex. The mechanisms that regulate cleavage of proNGF, therefore, are critical determinants of whether this factor promotes neuronal survival or death. ...

Background Neurotrophins (nerve growth factor, NGF; brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF; neurotrophin-3, NT-3) are involved in various CNS functions from differentiation and neuron survival to synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity. They are synthesized in neurons and also in nonenuronal cells (astrocytes), which therefore represent an important local source of trophic support in normal and...

Nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and are members of the neurotrophin family, a family of neurotrophic factors that also includes neurotrophin (NT) 3 and NT4/5. Neurotrophins have essential roles in the survival, development and differentiation of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Neurotrophins exert their effects by binding to correspon...

Proper development of the nervous system requires a temporally and spatially orchestrated set of events including differentiation, synapse formation and neurotransmission. Nerve growth factor (NGF) acting through the TrkA neurotrophin receptor (also known as NTRK1) regulates many of these events. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for NGF-regulated secretion are not completely unders...

The p75 neurotrophin receptor has been implicated in diverse aspects of neurotrophin signaling, but the mechanisms by which its effects are mediated are not well understood. Here we identify two MAGE proteins, necdin and MAGE-H1, as interactors for the intracellular domain of p75, and show that the interaction is enhanced by ligand stimulation. PC12 cells transfected with necdin or MAGE-H1 exhi...

Neurotrophins play a crucial role in the differentiation, maintenance, and survival of various types of peripheral and central neurons. However, the therapeutic use of neurotrophins is limited by their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier and their instability in the bloodstream. One of the promising approaches to utilize neurotrophic actions of these molecules in the therapy of neurodege...

Retinoic acid (RA) induces the differentiation of many cell lines, including those derived from neuroblastoma. RA treatment of SH-SY5Y cells induces the appearance of functional Trk B and Trk C receptors. Acute stimulation of RA-predifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), or neurotrophin 4/5 (NT-4/5), but not nerve growth factor (NGF), i...

The neurotrophin survival dependence of peripheral neurons in vitro is regulated by the proapoptotic BCL-2 homolog BAX. To study peripheral neuron development in the absence of neurotrophin signaling, we have generated mice that are double null for BAX and nerve growth factor (NGF), and BAX and the NGF receptor TrkA. All dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons that normally die in the absence of NGF...