Neurotrophin signaling via Trks and p75
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Updated: Oct 18, 2026

Whole-mount Imaging of Mouse Embryo Sensory Axon Projections
Published on: December 9, 2014
1Department of Pathology, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior and Taub Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630 West 168th Street, New York, New York, 10032, USA. wjf9@columbia.edu
Abstract:
This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of receptor-mediated signaling by the neurotrophins NGF, BDNF, NT3, and NT4/5. Two distinct receptor types have been distinguished, Trks and p75. The Trks are receptor tyrosine kinases that utilize a complex set of substrates and adapter proteins to activate defined secondary signaling cascades required for neurotrophin-promoted neuronal differentiation, plasticity, and survival. A specialized aspect of Trk/neurotrophin action in neurons is the requirement for retrograde signaling from the distal periphery to the cell body. p75 is a universal receptor for neurotrophins that is a member of the TNF receptor/Fas/CD40 superfamily. p75 appears to modify Trk signaling when the two receptor types are coexpressed. When expressed in the absence of Trks, p75 mediates responses to neurotrophins including promotion of apoptotic death. The mechanisms of p75 receptor signaling remain to be fully understood.
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