S. Louryan et al., NERVE GROWTH-FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPING CRANIOFACIAL REGION OF THE MOUSE EMBRYO, European journal of morphology, 33(5), 1995, pp. 415-419
Nerve growth factor (NGF), demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, appea
rs during craniofacial development of the mouse in several embryonic t
issues. First, NGF is present in the neural and placodic tissues of ea
rly embryos. At later stages, NGF staining appears in premuscular and
precartilaginous blastemata, as well as in the tooth germs. The presen
ce of NGF in muscular primordia is probably in relation with its putat
ive trophic effect on target tissues. However, cartilaginous expressio
n of NGF supports the view that this molecule could play a role in the
regulation of preskeletal differentiation.