The contribution of low affinity NGF receptor (p75(NGFR)) to delayed neuronal death after ischemia in the gerbil hippocampus

The implication of low affinity nerve growth factor receptor (p75(NGFR)), w hich is believed to play a pro-apoptotic role, in delayed neuronal death (D ND) after ischemia in the gerbil hippocampus was investigated. Immunohistoc hemistry and Western blot analysis revealed that the presence of p75 NGFR i mmunoreactivity (IR) was negligible in the hippocampus of the sham control gerbil but appeared clearly in CA1 neurons 3 and 4 days after Fi-min transi ent ischemia, Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated UTP nick end l abeling (TUNEL) positive nuclei appeared when the level of P75(NGFR) IR inc reased. Furthermore, almost all TUNEL-positive CA1 neurons also co-stained for P75(NGFR). These results suggest that p75(NGFR) contributes to DND afte r ischemia by an apoptotic mechanism.