Within a developing organism, cells receive many signals which control their proliferation, fate specification and differentiation. One group of such proteins is the TGF-beta/BMP class of related signaling molecules. Based on expression studies, multiple members of this class of ligands must impinge upon the same cells of a developing tissue; however, the role that multiple TGF-beta/BMP ligands...

The series of international conferences on nerve growth factor (NGF) and related molecules arose from a meeting held in 1986, to mark Rita Levi-Montalcini’s 77th birthday, and in recognition of the fact that her discovery of NGF opened up the field of trophic factors. One of the best characterized families of such trophic factors is the NGF family of neurotrophins, which in mammals also include...

The neurotrophin gene family comprises four structurally related basic proteins, NGF, BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4/5. Despite high structural homology, these neurotrophins operate via different high-affinity membrane receptors, differ in target specificity, patterns of spatial and temporal distribution and responses to injury of the neuronal tissue. Based on the recent data, some aspects of BDNF and NT-...

Rearing mice from birth in an enriched environment leads to a conspicuous acceleration of visual system development appreciable at behavioral, electrophysiological and molecular level. Little is known about the possible mechanisms of action through which enriched environment affects visual system development. It has been suggested that differences in maternal behavior between enriched and non-e...

The secretion of BDNF from neurons is under activity-dependent control: this is crucial for the formation of appropriate synaptic connections during development and for learning and memory in adults. New evidence shows that interaction between a motif in the tertiary structure of BDNF and the sorting receptor carboxypeptidase E directs this neurotrophin to the regulated secretory pathway.

Assemblies formed by solid particles at interfaces have been widely studied because they serve as models of molecular phenomena, including molecular self-assembly. Solid particles adsorbed at interfaces also provide a means of stabilizing liquid-liquid emulsions and synthesizing materials with tunable mechanical, optical, or electronic properties. Whereas many past studies have investigated col...