Publication Date:
1993-05-21
Description:
A potent neurotrophic factor that enhances survival of midbrain dopaminergic neurons was purified and cloned. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a glycosylated, disulfide-bonded homodimer that is a distantly related member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. In embryonic midbrain cultures, recombinant human GDNF promoted the survival and morphological differentiation of dopaminergic neurons and increased their high-affinity dopamine uptake. These effects were relatively specific; GDNF did not increase total neuron or astrocyte numbers nor did it increase transmitter uptake by gamma-aminobutyric-containing and serotonergic neurons. GDNF may have utility in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, which is marked by progressive degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Lin, L F -- Doherty, D H -- Lile, J D -- Bektesh, S -- Collins, F -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1993 May 21;260(5111):1130-2.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Synergen, Inc., Boulder, CO 80301.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8493557" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Amino Acid Sequence
;
Animals
;
Astrocytes/cytology/drug effects
;
Base Sequence
;
Cell Differentiation/drug effects
;
Cell Line
;
Cell Survival/drug effects
;
Cells, Cultured
;
Cloning, Molecular
;
Dopamine/*biosynthesis
;
Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
;
Humans
;
Mesencephalon/cytology/*drug effects/metabolism
;
Molecular Sequence Data
;
Molecular Weight
;
*Nerve Growth Factors
;
Nerve Tissue Proteins/chemistry/genetics/isolation & purification/*pharmacology
;
Neuroglia/*metabolism
;
Neurons/cytology/*drug effects/metabolism
;
Parkinson Disease/drug therapy
;
Rats
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
