Mh. Zhou et al., CHANGES IN RAT RETINAL GANGLION NEURONOTROPHIC FACTOR AND ITS MESSENGER-RNA DURING POSTNATAL-DEVELOPMENT, Science in China. Series B, Chemistry, life sciences & earth sciences, 36(3), 1993, pp. 305
The monoclonal antibody specific to the retinal ganglion neuronotrophi
c factor (RGNTF) was used to localize and quantify the presence and am
ount of RGNTF during the postnatal development of the visual system in
the rat. The results showed that in the 0-1-day age group, neurons at
the superficial layers and deep part of superior colliculus, and as w
ell as retinal ganglion cells were strongly stained with their RGNTF c
ontents quantified to be 88%, 100% and 100%, respectively. In the 5-6-
day age group, RGNTF contents were significantly reduced to merely 50%
, 30% and 80%, respectively. The RGNTF contents reduced further to 0%
as age increased to 2 years old. A P-32-DNA probe specific to the firs
t 7 amino acid sequence of RGNTF at its N-terminal end was synthesized
and used for in situ hybridization studies. The results revealed that
strong hybridized signals (i.e. mRNA of RGNTF) were localized in the
same neurons in the superficial layers and deep part of the superior c
olliculus only in the 0-1-day age group, and that no signals were foun
d in retinae of all postnatal age groups. The significant reduction of
RGNTF may be related to the RGC death during postnatal development. N
eurons at the superficial layers and deep part of the superior collicu
lus are the sources of RGNTF for RGCs in the postnatal retina.