EFFECTS OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTORS ON DOPAMINERGIC-NEURONS IN CULTURE

It was recently reported that TGF-beta 1 either had no significant eff ect on or increased the survival of dopaminergic neurons in culture. T GF-beta 2 and TGF-beta 3 were reported to cause increased survival or to greatly inhibit survival. The transforming growth factors are a hig hly pleiotropic group of compounds, and the above results suggest that their actions may be critically dependent on the conditions of the as say. We have therefore tested these compounds under optimal conditions of culture, in a medium containing a low (2.5%) concentration of Feta l bovine serum. TGF-beta 2 and 3 inhibited neuronal (MAP2-pos) surviva l only at the highest concentration (10 ng/ml) tested, while inhibitio n of survival of dopaminergic neurons was observed at 1.0 and 10 ng/ml . These results therefore suggest that the inhibitory action of TGF-be ta 2 and 3 on the survival of dopaminergic neurons in culture, under t he experimental conditions outlined, may be relatively specific. Publi shed by Elsevier Science Ltd.