Molecular and cellular neurosciences
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Mol. Cell. Neurosci. · Apr 2002
Opposing functions of GDNF and NGF in the development of cholinergic and noradrenergic sympathetic neurons.
We identified a population of mature sympathetic neurons in which Ret, the receptor for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), is coexpressed with the neurotrophin-3 (NT3) receptor TrkC and choline acetyltransferase. In a complementary population the nerve growth factor receptor TrkA is coexpressed with the norepinephrine transporter. ⋯ Signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) was strongly activated by CNTF but not by GDNF or NT3 and hence is not essential for cholinergic differentiation. We conclude that cholinergic properties can be regulated by neurotrophic factors from three different protein families, whereas noradrenergic properties are promoted by NGF.