The specification of sympathetic neurotransmitter phenotype depends on gp130 cytokine receptor signaling

Sympathetic ganglia are composed of noradrenergic and cholinergic neurons, The differentiation of cholinergic sympathetic neurons is characterized by the expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and vasoactive intestina l peptide (VIP), induced in vitro by a subfamily of cytokines, including LI F, CNTF, GPA, OSM and cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1). To interfere with the functio n of these neuropoietic cytokines in vivo, antisense RNA for gp130, the com mon signal-transducing receptor subunit for neuropoietic cytokines, was exp ressed in chick sympathetic neurons, using retroviral vectors. A strong red uction in the number of VIP-expressing cells, but not of cells expressing C hAT or the adrenergic marker tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), was observed. These results reveal a physiological role of neuropoietic cytokines for the cont rol of VIP expression during the development of cholinergic sympathetic neu rons.