BDNF (Brain derived neurotrophic factor) is a secretion protein and a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors. Structural and functional characterization of BDNF Varanus komodoensis is of interest while its structure remains unknown. Thus, a homology molecular model of BDNF was constructed for gleaning possible structural insights. The model was compared with the structure of the ho...

Axonal target-derived BMP and neurotrophin signaling are both known to regulate neuronal gene expression, differentiation, and axon growth. In this issue of Neuron, Ji and Jaffrey (2012) discovered that BMP-signaling endosomes depend on BDNF-induced axonal synthesis of SMADs to retrogradely regulate transcription in developing trigeminal neurons, providing a mechanism of integrating the two tar...

During development, newly born neurons migrate away from their initial birth sites to their final positions in the mature brain. The neurotrophin BDNF has been shown to regulate the migration of granule cells in the cerebellum. The cellular mechanisms that mediate this chemotactic response have not been resolved. In this issue of Neuron, Zhou et al. show that vesicle trafficking is critical for...

Snake venoms are a very abundant source of nerve growth factors (NGF). NGFs of Elapidae showing 65% sequence homology with mouse or human NGF, while the Viperidae NGF shows N-glycosylation (Asn-21) typical of these mammalian NGFs. Snake NGF-induced neurite outgrowth (neurotropic activity) was measured in the past by using PC12 cell or dorsal root ganglion bioassays. The present study was aimed ...

Methylmercury (MeHg) is present in fish and a neurotoxicant at sufficiently high levels. One potential mechanism of MeHg toxicity early life epigenetic dysregulation that may affect long-term neurodevelopment. Altered DNA methylation nervous system-related genes has been associated with adult mental health outcomes. To assess associations between prenatal exposure (at the cytosine CG dinucleoti...

The alpha- and beta-subunits of the receptor for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFR) were found to be autophosphorylated in the absence of ligands at high expression levels which suggests a propensity of PDGFRs to dimerize spontaneously. When the extracellular domains (ED) of both receptors were expressed and purified to homogeneity, they could be dimerized specifically by the different PDGF...

We report a new technique called Digital microfluidic Immunocytochemistry in Single Cells (DISC). DISC automates protocols for cell culture, stimulation and immunocytochemistry, enabling the interrogation of protein phosphorylation on pulsing with stimulus for as little as 3 s. DISC was used to probe the phosphorylation states of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and the downstrea...