Exogenous BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4 differentially regulate neurite outgrowth in cultured hippocampal neurons

Multiple growth factors contribute to the differentiation of dendritic and axonal processes by a neuron. Cultured hippocampal cells elaborate dendritic and axonal processes following well-defined steps. We used this culture system to determine the specific effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) on dendritic and axonal differentiation in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. We demonstrated that each of these neurotrophins exert distinct effects on neurite outgrowth. Both BDNF and NT-3 had positive effects on the outgrowth of undifferentiated neurites, called minor neurites, and on the axonal process of hippocampal pyramidal neurons. However, the effect of NT-3 was more important than that of BDNF. On the other hand, NT-4 did not enhance axonal outgrowth but had only an effect on the outgrowth of minor neurites. Since cytoskeletal proteins play crucial roles in promoting neurite outgrowth, we examined the protein levels of some of these proteins that are associated with neurite outgrowth: beta-actin, gamma-actin, alpha-tubulin, MAP2 and tau. Surprisingly, we did not detect any change in their protein levels. Taken together, our results show that BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4 exert distinct effects on the neuritic compartments of hippocampal neurons.