Production of nerve growth factor in rat skeletal muscle

Production of the nerve growth factor (NGF) was confirmed by Northern blot hybridization using a specific probe of synthetic cDNA. In normal rat skeletal muscle, this probe clearly showed a band equivalent to 1.3 kilobases (kb) of messenger RNA (mRNA) of NGF of male mouse submaxillary gland. By denervation, the density of the bands derived from muscles increased by a factor of more than 3 at 4 and 6 days later compared to the control. The synthesis of mRNA of NGF in muscle was also confirmed following tetrodotoxin (TTX) blockade of sciatic nerve without denervation.