Jf. Carnahan et al., STEM-CELL FACTOR IS A NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR FOR NEURAL CREST-DERIVED CHICK SENSORY NEURONS, The Journal of neuroscience, 14(3), 1994, pp. 1433-1440
We have found that stem cell factor (SCF) selectively enhances the sur
vival of cultured embryonic chick dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. N
eurons grown in the presence of SCF expressed both neurofilament 150 k
Da subunit and calcitonin-gene related peptide. SCF does not, however,
enhance the survival of parasympathetic, placode-derived sensory or s
ympathetic neurons in culture. Combining SCF with brain-derived neurot
rophic factor or neurotrophin-3, but not with NGF, maintains more neur
ons than either factor alone, suggesting that these factors have parti
ally overlapping activities. SCF preferentially rescues small neurons
from the DRG. Labeling studies with bromodeoxyuridine indicate that th
e neurons sustained by SCF are not differentiating from a dividing pro
genitor.