| First Author | Zwick M | Year | 2002 |
| Journal | J Neurosci | Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 10 | Pages | 4057-65 |
| PubMed ID | 12019325 | Mgi Jnum | J:76684 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:2179935 | Doi | 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.22-10-04057.2002 |
| Citation | Zwick M, et al. (2002) Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor is a survival factor for isolectin B4-positive, but not vanilloid receptor 1-positive, neurons in the mouse. J Neurosci 22(10):4057-65 |
| abstractText | Most, if not all, nociceptor sensory neurons are dependent on nerve growth factor (NGF) during early embryonic development. A large subpopulation of these sensory neurons loses NGF dependency between embryonic day 16 and postnatal day 14 and become responsive to glial cell line-derived growth factor (GDNF), a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family. To examine the survival and phenotypic effects of GDNF on sensory neurons in vivo, we generated transgenic mice that overexpress GDNF in the skin. GDNF-overexpresser mice had increased numbers of small unmyelinated sensory neurons that express the tyrosine kinase receptor Ret and bind the plant isolectin B4 (IB4). Surprisingly, in wild-type and transgenic mice, few ( approximately 2%) IB4-positive neurons expressed the vanilloid receptor VR1, a heat-sensitive receptor expressed by many IB4-positive neurons of the rat. Thus, in mouse, GDNF-dependent IB4-positive neurons must use a non-VR1 heat receptor. In addition, the behavior of GDNF-overexpresser animals to noxious heat or mechanical stimuli was indistinguishable from wild-type animals, indicating that, on a behavioral level, peripherally applied GDNF does not alter the sensitivity of the somatosensory system. |
