M. Geissen et al., The specification of sympathetic neurotransmitter phenotype depends on gp130 cytokine receptor signaling, DEVELOPMENT, 125(23), 1998, pp. 4791-4802
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.