Abstract
Sympathetic neurons from perinatal rat pups extend only a single axon when maintained in culture in the absence of glia and serum. Exposure to recombinant osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) selectively induces the formation of dendrites that correctly segregate and modify cytoskeletal and membrane proteins and form synaptic contacts of appropriate polarity. OP-1 requires nerve growth factor (NGF) as a cofactor, and, in the presence of optimal concentrations of NGF, OP1-induced dendritic growth from cultured perinatal neurons is comparable to that observed in situ. Sympathetic neuroblasts that had not formed dendrites in situ also responded to OP-1 in culture, indicating that OP-1 can cause de novo formation as well as regeneration of dendrites. These data imply that specific signals can regulate the development of neuronal shape and polarity.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 597-605 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Neuron |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1995 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)