Neurotrophins are a family of growth factors that are polypeptide in structure and are necessary for the development and maintenance of the vertebrate nervous system. The first member of this family, nerve growth factor (NGF) was discovered in 1952 by an Italian group of scientists led by Rita Levi-Montalcini. She received a Nobel Prize in 1987 for her team’s discovery. A few decades after the ...

background: adult stem cells (asc) are undifferentiated cells found throughout the body. these cells are promising tools for cell replacement therapy in neurodegenerative disease. adipose tissue is the most abundant and accessible source of asc. this study was conducted to evaluate effect of selegiline on differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (adsc) into functional neuron-like cells (nl...

objective(s): studies have confirmed that microgravity, as a mechanical factor, influences both differentiation and function of mesenchymal stem cells. here we investigated the effects of simulated microgravity on neural differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (adscs). materials and methods:we have used a fast rotating clinostat (clinorotation) to simulate microgravity condition. re...

Neurotrophin-3 and its receptor TrkC are expressed during the development of the mammalian cerebral cortex. To examine whether neurotrophin-3 might play a role in the elaboration of layer-specific cortical circuits, slices of layer 6 and layers 2/3 neurons were cultured in the presence of exogenously applied neurotrophin-3. Results indicate that neurotrophin-3 promotes axonal branching of layer...

We have isolated a neurotrophin from the lamprey that permitted us to perform a phylogenetic analysis of the neurotrophin gene family that dates back more than 460 million years to the early vertebrate ancestors. The results show that the neurotrophin gene family was originally formed by two subsequent duplications. The duplication that formed nerve growth factor, neurotrophin-3, brain-derived ...

background: stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (shed) have the capability to differentiate into neural cells. neurotrophins including nerve growth factor (ngf), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (bdnf), neurotrophin-3 (nt-3), and neurotrophin-4 (nt-4) have neurogenesis, neurotrophic, or neuroprotective effects and are expressed in developing teeth. the aim of this study was to mea...

Neurotrophins, secreted in an activity-dependent manner, are thought to be involved in the activity-dependent refinement of synaptic connections. Here we demonstrate that in hippocampal neurons and the rat pheochromocytoma cell line PC12 application of exogenous neurotrophins induces secretion of neurotrophins, an effect that is mediated by the activation of tyrosine kinase neurotrophin recepto...

The p75 neurotrophin receptor is a binding or signalling partner for a long list of receptors and ligands. In neurons, p75 neurotrophin receptor expression regulates the binding affinity between Trk receptors and growth-promoting neurotrophins, as well as their binding specificity (Roux and Barker, 2002). Neuronal p75 neurotrophin receptor also transduces growth inhibition conferred by myelin-d...