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Low-affinity p75 nerve growth factor receptor expression in the embryonic monkey telencephalon: timing and
1Section of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Neuroscience
|May 1, 1993
Summary
The nerve growth factor receptor appears in developing monkey brains after neurogenesis begins, suggesting a role in cortical differentiation, not initial neuron growth. Antibodies detected the receptor in subplate neurons and blood vessels early on.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor, specifically the low-affinity p75 subunit, plays a role in neuronal development.
- Understanding the temporal expression and cellular localization of NGF receptors is crucial for comprehending cortical development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal appearance and cellular distribution of the low-affinity NGF receptor (p75) in the developing rhesus monkey occipital cortex.
- To correlate NGF receptor expression with key developmental events like neurogenesis and axonal connection formation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized monoclonal antibodies targeting the p75 subunit of the human NGF receptor.
- Examined fetal rhesus monkey brains from embryonic days 45-121, encompassing periods of neurogenesis, migration, and axonal development.
- Employed immunolabeling techniques to visualize receptor presence and associated cellular elements.
Main Results:
- Initial immunolabeling of the NGF receptor was observed between embryonic days 56-64 in transient subplate neurons, axonal processes, and pericytes.
- By birth, subplate neurons lost labeling, while abundant NGF receptor-labeled axonal processes were evident in the cortex.
- The emergence of NGF receptor-labeled elements occurred 2-3 weeks after the onset of neurogenesis, suggesting a role in differentiation rather than proliferation.
Conclusions:
- NGF signaling appears to coordinate cortical differentiation rather than initiate neuronal proliferation.
- The diverse cellular elements labeled by anti-NGF receptor antibodies suggest cross-reactivity with receptors for multiple growth factor families.
- Differential timing of growth factor receptor expression may guide neuronal responses during synaptogenesis and morphogenesis in the developing cerebral cortex.
