H. Bengtsson et al., POTENTIATING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MORPHOGENETIC PROTEIN AND NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS IN DEVELOPING NEURONS, Journal of neuroscience research, 53(5), 1998, pp. 559-568
mRNA for bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II (BMPR-II) was map
ped to different neurons in peripheral ganglia and spinal cord of the
chicken embryo. The expression of this serine/threonine kinase recepto
r partially overlaps with that of tyrosine kinase receptors Trk and Re
t, Biological activities of osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1), a documented
ligand for BMPR-II, were tested in explanted embryonic chicken ganglia
and dissociated ganglionic neurons. OP-1 had only a limited stimulato
ry effect on neuronal survival. However, OP-1 combined with either neu
rotrophin-3 (NT-3, a relative of nerve growth factor) or glial cell li
ne-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) potentiated neuronal survival th
ree- to fourfold. We also show that OP-1 strongly potentiates nerve fi
ber outgrowth from ganglia stimulated with NT-3 or GDNF. Signaling by
BMPR-II in neurons may potentiate the tyrosine kinase pathway activate
d by NT-3 and GDNF, The data suggest that morphogenetic proteins may m
odulate neurotrophic activities during neuronal development and plasti
city. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.