A ROLE FOR CILIARY NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR AS AN INDUCER OF REACTIVE GLIOSIS, THE GLIAL RESPONSE TO CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM INJURY

Within the central nervous system (CNS) ciliary neurotrophic factor (C NTF) is expressed by astrocytes where it remains stored as an intracel lular protein; its release and function as an extracellular ligand are thought to occur in the event of cellular injury. We find that overex pression of CNTF in transgenic mice recapitulates the glial response t o CNS lesion, as does its injection into the uninjured brain. These re sults demonstrate that CNTF functions as an inducer of reactive gliosi s, a condition associated with a number of neurological diseases of th e CNS.