Search results for "neurotrophic factors"
showing 10 items of 88 documents
Biomaterials coated by dental pulp cells as substrate for neural stem cell differentiation
2011
[EN] This study is focused on the development of an in vitro hybrid system, consisting in a polymeric biomaterial covered by a dental pulp cellular stroma that acts as a scaffold offering a neurotrophic support for the subsequent survival and differentiation of neural stem Cells. In the first place, the behavior of dental pulp stroma on the polymeric biomaterial based on ethyl acrylate and hydroxy ethyl acrylate copolymer was studied. For this purpose, cells from normal human third molars were grown onto 0.5-mm-diameter biomaterial discs. After cell culture, quantification of neurotrophic factors generated by the stromal cells was performed by means of an ELISA assay. In the second place, s…
The thymus at the crossroad of neuroimmune interactions.
2006
The numerous relationships existing between the nervous and the immune systems suggest that the neural networks present in the intrathymic microenvironment may influence T-cell development. We previously reported that thymic neural-crest-derived stromal cells are involved in a neural differentiation pathway and are able to produce neurotrophic factors and neurokines that are in turn able to increase and/or modulate thymic-stromal cell neuronal phenotype. We also showed that EGF promotes a neural phenotype in thymic epithelial cells by enhancing the expression of neuronal-specific markers, neurotransmitters, and neuropoietic cytokines, such as IL-6 and CNTF. More recently we showed that the …
Vulnerability of peripheral catecholaminergic neurons to MPTP is not regulated by alpha-synuclein.
2010
Although generally considered a prototypical movement disorder, Parkinson's disease is commonly associated with a broad-spectrum of non-motor symptoms, including autonomic dysfunctions caused by significant alterations in catecholaminergic neurons of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. Here we present evidence that alpha-synuclein is highly expressed by sympathetic ganglion neurons throughout embryonic and postnatal life and that it is found in tyrosine hydroxylase-positive sympathetic fibers innervating the heart of adult mice. However, mice deficient in alpha-synuclein do not exhibit any apparent alterations in sympathetic development. Sympathetic neurons isolated from mouse embryo…
Spatial learning and expression patterns of PP1 mRNA in mouse hippocampus.
2009
<i>Background:</i> Synaptic plasticity is believed to be the major cellular basis for learning and memory. Protein phosphorylation is a key process involved in changes in the efficacy of neurotransmission. In long-term changes synaptic plasticity is followed by structural plasticity and protein de novo synthesis. Such mechanisms are believed to build the basis of hippocampal learning and memory investigated in the Morris water maze (MWM) task. To examine the role of dephosphorylation during that model for spatial learning, we analyzed protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) expression in the hippocampus of mice at various stages of the task and in two groups with different learning abilitie…
Interactions between cholinergic and fibroblast growth factor receptors in brain trophism and plasticity
2014
Acetylcholine, acting on both nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) and muscarinic receptors (mAChRs), plays a role in the regulation of synaptic plasticity, being involved in the regulation of cellular processes and cognitive functions, such as learning, memory and attention. Recently, G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), including mAChRs, have been reported to transactivate tyrosine-kinase receptors (RTK), such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and initiate their intracellular signaling. In this minireview we have first analysed the RTK transactivation mechanisms, involving cholinergic receptors, and thereafter the interplay between AChR and neurotrophic factor systems built up by FGF2 a…
Astrocytes in culture express the full-length Trk-B receptor and respond to brain derived neurotrophic factor by changing intracellular calcium level…
2000
Abstract Although cultured astroglial cells were reported to express exclusively the truncated non-catalytic Trk B receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), we detect here, using a sensitive ribonuclease protection assay, mRNAs for both truncated (TrkB–T) and the full length catalytic (TrkB–fl) form of BDNF receptor in developing cortical astrocytes and neurons in culture. Cortical neurons and immature astroglia, such as radial glia and proliferating astrocytes, express both the protein and mRNAs for TrkB-fl and TrkB-T, whereas the differentiation of astrocytes leads to a decrease in the trkB-fl mRNA, being the truncated TrkB the predominant receptor in differentiating and conf…
Neurotrophic effects of central nicotinic receptor activation
2000
A growing number of data have shown that compounds interacting with neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have, both in vivo and in vitro, the potential to be neuroprotective and that treatment with nAChR agonists elicit long-lasting improvement of cognitive performance in a variety of behavioural tests in rats, monkeys and humans. Epidemiological and clinical studies suggested also a potential neuroprotective/trophic role of (-)-nicotine in neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. This neuroprotective/trophic role of nAChR activation has been mainly mediated by alpha7 and alpha4beta2 nAChR subtypes, as evidenced using selective nAChR ant…
Longitudinal Study of Cytokine Expression, Lipid Profile and Neuronal Growth Factors in Human Breast Milk from Term and Preterm Deliveries
2015
Breast milk (BM) is considered as a reference for infant nutrition. The role of bioactive components, such as cytokines, hormones, growth factors (GFs) and fatty acids (FAs) is poorly known, but they might be implicated in immune response development. The aim of this study was to identify the lipid profile and the spectrum of cytokines and neuronal GF in BM samples and analyse the influence of gestational age and lactation time on these components. This study used a longitudinal prospective method for the characterization of cytokines, FAs and GFs global profiles in 120 BM samples from 40 healthy mothers (20 preterm and 20 term) collected as colostrum, transitional and mature milk. The cyto…
Huntingtin controls neurotrophic support and survival of neurons by enhancing BDNF vesicular transport along microtubules.
2004
AbstractPolyglutamine expansion (polyQ) in the protein huntingtin is pathogenic and responsible for the neuronal toxicity associated with Huntington's disease (HD). Although wild-type huntingtin possesses antiapoptotic properties, the relationship between the neuroprotective functions of huntingtin and pathogenesis of HD remains unclear. Here, we show that huntingtin specifically enhances vesicular transport of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) along microtubules. Huntingtin-mediated transport involves huntingtin-associated protein-1 (HAP1) and the p150Glued subunit of dynactin, an essential component of molecular motors. BDNF transport is attenuated both in the disease context and b…
Transgenic overexpression of corticotropin releasing hormone provides partial protection against neurodegeneration in an in vivo model of acute excit…
2008
Abstract Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is the central modulator of the mammalian hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. In addition, CRH affects other processes in the brain including learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. Moreover, CRH has been shown to play a role in nerve cell survival under apoptotic conditions and to serve as an endogenous neuroprotectant in vitro . Employing mice overexpressing murine CRH in the CNS, we observed a differential response of CRH-overexpressing mice (CRH-COE hom -Nes) to acute excitotoxic stress induced by kainate compared with controls (CRH-COE con -Nes). Interestingly, CRH-overexpression reduced the duration of epileptic seizures and pre…