Myelin inhibitors activate a p75(NTR)-dependent signaling cascade in neurons that not only inhibits axonal growth but also prevents neurotrophins (NT) from stimulating growth. Most intriguingly, in addition to Trk receptors, neurotrophins also bind to p75(NTR). We have designed a "mini-neurotrophin" called B(AG) to activate TrkB in the absence of p75(NTR) binding. We find that B(AG) is as effec...

Apoptosis of neointimal smooth muscle cells is a well-recognized component of the pathogenesis of vascular lesions. In recent studies, we have identified the neurotrophin receptor, p75(NTR), as a mediator of apoptosis of neointimal smooth muscle cells. Neurotrophin ligands and p75(NTR) are selectively expressed in areas of atherosclerotic lesions with increased smooth muscle cell apoptosis and ...

Genetic correlations were found between high-affinity neurotensin receptor (NTR(H)) densities and NT-immunoreactivity (NT-ir) levels in specific brain regions and sensitivity to hypnotic and hypothermic effects of ethanol in LSXSS recombinant inbred strains of mice. Simple sequence length polymorphisms were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing hypnotic and hypothermic sens...

Signaling by the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR), also known as NGFR) is often referred to as cell-context dependent, but neuron-type-specific signaling by p75(NTR) has not been systematically investigated. Here, we report that p75(NTR) signals very differently in hippocampal neurons (HCNs) and cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs), and we present evidence indicating that this is partly control...

Expression vectors that yield mono-, di-, and tricistronic mRNAs upon transfection of COS-1 cells were used to assess the influence of the 5' nontranslated regions (5'NTRs) on translation of reporter genes. A segment of the 5'NTR of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) allowed translation of an adjacent downstream reporter gene (CAT) regardless of its position in the mRNAs. A deletion in the EMCV ...

ISWI-family nucleosome remodeling enzymes need the histone H4 N-terminal tail to mobilize nucleosomes. Here we mapped the H4-tail binding pocket of ISWI. Surprisingly the binding site was adjacent to but not overlapping with the docking site of an auto-regulatory motif, AutoN, in the N-terminal region (NTR) of ISWI, indicating that AutoN does not act as a simple pseudosubstrate as suggested pre...

Clearance of fibrin through proteolytic degradation is a critical step of matrix remodeling that contributes to tissue repair in a variety of pathological conditions, such as stroke, atherosclerosis, and pulmonary disease. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate fibrin deposition are not known. Here, we report that the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)), a TNF receptor superfamily mem...

Proneurotrophins mediate neuronal apoptosis using a dual receptor complex of sortilin and p75(NTR). Although p75(NTR) is highly expressed on the plasma membrane and accessible to proneurotrophin ligands, sortilin is primarily localized to intracellular membranes, limiting the formation of a cell surface co-receptor complex. Here, we show that the mammalian p75(NTR) homologue NRH2 critically reg...

We studied the relationship between aortic baroreceptor function and aortic wall properties in normotensive (NTR) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats 10-20 weeks old. Baroreceptor discharge, static pressure-volume (P-V), and pressure-radius relationships were measured in excised aortic segments. Histological studies of wall thickness and receptor numbers also were made. Circumferential wa...

Escherichia coli nitroreductase (NTR) may convert the prodrug CB1954 (5-(aziridin-1-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzamide) into a bifunctional alkylating agent, which may lead to DNA crosslinks and the apoptosis of cancer cells. NTR/CB1954 has been demonstrated to be an effective gene therapy in cancer cells. The present study examined whether the NTR/CB1954 suicide gene system had cytotoxic effects on HeLa...