免疫酶双重染色法显示再生神经中的神经生长因子与睫状节神经营养因子

本研究以成人正中神经切割伤后２～３个月的神经干为材料,冰冻切片,用免疫双重染色技术显示了神经生长因子与睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子在再生的周围神经组织中的表达与分布。神经生长因子选用ＡＰＡＡＰ法．其阳性产物呈红色;睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子选用ＡＢＣ系统,４氯－１－萘酚显色,阳性产物为褐色。光镜下观察：神经生长因子的阳性反应产物出现在正中神经切割伤后再生的神经纤维中,高倍镜下可见其阳性产物分布在轴索,而在雪旺氏细胞中没能见到呈红色的阳性反应产物;睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子分布在一些细胞体积大、核大呈增生活跃状态的雪旺氏细胞中。红与褐双色反应产物色调清晰,效果较好。研究结果提示：睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子与神经生长因子在人周围神经再生过程中起着十分重要的作用。     

CNTF overproduction hastens onset of symptoms in motor neuron degeneration (mnd) mice

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promotes the survival of motor neurons, in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, CNTF can block the degeneration of injured or diseased motor neurons in young rodents. Motor neuron degeneration (mnd) mutant mice display adult onset symptoms reflecting progressive motor debilitation and provide a model in which to test the hypothesis that CNTF can prevent the loss of these motor functions. We generated mnd mice that harbor a genomically integrated transgene, resulting in overexpression of the encoded CNTF protein in these mice. In contrast to the beneficial effects of CNTF in preventing motor neuron degeneration in other experimental paradigms, we report that overproduction of CNTF increased the rate of onset of motor disease symptoms in mnd mice and the presence of the transgene correlated with low adult body weight in mnd and wild-type genetic backgrounds. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ciliary neurotrophic factor protects retinal ganglion cells from axotomy‐induced apoptosis via modulation of retinal glia in vivo

Adenoviral‐mediated transfer of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to the retina rescued retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from axotomy‐induced apoptosis, presumably via activation of the high affinity CNTF receptor alpha (CNTFRα) expressed on RGCs. CNTF can also activate astrocytes, via its low affinity leukemia inhibitory receptor beta expressed on mature astrocytes, suggesting that CNTF may also protect injured neurons indirectly by modulating glia. Adenoviral‐mediated overexpression of CNTF in normal and axotomized rat retinas was examined to determine if it could increase the expression of several glial markers previously demonstrated to have a neuroprotective function in the injured brain and retina. Using Western blotting, the expression of glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), glutamate/aspartate transporter‐1 (GLAST‐1), glutamine synthetase (GS), and connexin 43 (Cx43) was examined 7 days after intravitreal injections of Ad.CNTF or control Ad.LacZ. Compared to controls, intravitreal injection of Ad.CNTF led to significant changes in the expression of CNTFRα, pSTAT₃, GFAP, GLAST, GS, and Cx43 in normal and axotomized retinas. Taken together, these results suggest that the neuroprotective effects of CNTF may result from a shift of retinal glia cells to a more neuroprotective phenotype. Moreover, the modulation of astrocytes may buffer high concentrations of glutamate that have been shown to contribute to the death of RGCs after optic nerve transection. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2005     

STAT3信号转导系统介导了CNTF对大鼠尾壳核出血后的神经保护作用

目的研究睫状神经生长因子(CNTF)在中枢神经元抗损伤中的作用及机制。方法对尾壳核出血大鼠进行CNTF治疗,观察海马信号转导和转录激活蛋白-3(STAT3)含量及阳性神经元分布的变化。结果CNTF能显增加尾壳核出血大鼠海马STAT3阳性神经元数量、海马STAT3含量。结论CNTF能通过促进STAT3的表达增强中枢神经元的抗损伤能力。     

Activation of cultured astrocytes by amphotericin B: Stimulation of NO and cytokines production and changes in neurotrophic factors production

Amphotericin B (AmB) is a polyene antibiotic and reported to be one of a few reagents having therapeutic effects on prion diseases, such as the delay in the appearing of the clinical signs and the prolongation of the survival time. In prion diseases, glial cells have been suggested to play important roles by proliferating and producing various factors such as nitric oxide, proinflammatory cytokines, and neurotrophic factors. However, the therapeutic mechanism of AmB on prion diseases remains elusive. We have previously reported that AmB changed the expression of neurotoxic and neurotrophic factors in microglia (Motoyoshi et al., 2008, Neurochem. Int. 52, 1290–1296). In the present study, we examined the effects of AmB on cellular functions of rat cultured astrocytes. We found that AmB could activate astrocytes to produce nitric oxide via inducible nitric oxide synthase induction. AmB also induced mRNA expression of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, and productions of their proteins in astrocytes. Moreover, AmB changed levels of neurotrophic factor mRNAs and proteins. Among three neurotrophic factors examined here, neurotrophin-3 mRNA expression and its protein production in the cells were down-regulated by AmB stimulation. On the other hand, AmB significantly enhanced the amounts of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor proteins in the cells and the medium. These results suggest that AmB might show therapeutic effects on prion diseases by controlling the expression and production of such mediators in astrocytes.     

Neuronal STAT3 activation is essential for CNTF- and inflammatory stimulation-induced CNS axon regeneration

CNS neurons, such as retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), do not normally regenerate injured axons, but instead undergo apoptotic cell death. Regenerative failure is due to inhibitory factors in the myelin and forming glial scar as well as due to an insufficient intrinsic capability of mature neurons to regrow axons. Nevertheless, RGCs can be transformed into an active regenerative state upon inflammatory stimulation (IS) in the inner eye, for instance by lens injury, enabling these RGCs to survive axotomy and to regenerate axons into the lesioned optic nerve. The beneficial effects of IS are mediated by various factors, including CNTF, LIF and IL-6. Consistently, IS activates various signaling pathways, such as JAK/STAT3 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR, in several retinal cell types. Using a conditional knockdown approach to specifically delete STAT3 in adult RGCs, we investigated the role of STAT3 in IS-induced neuroprotection and axon regeneration. Conditional STAT3 knockdown in RGCs did not affect the survival of RGCs after optic nerve injury compared with controls, but significantly reduced the neuroprotective effects of IS. STAT3 depletion significantly compromised CNTF-stimulated neurite growth in culture and IS-induced transformation of RGCs into an active regenerative state in vivo. As a consequence, IS-mediated axonal regeneration into the injured optic nerve was almost completely abolished in mice with STAT3 depleted in RGCs. In conclusion, STAT3 activation in RGCs is involved in neuroprotection and is a necessary prerequisite for optic nerve regeneration upon IS.     

睫状神经营养因子突变体的设计及活性分析

利用计算机分子模拟系统模建了CNTFRα的三维结构,并对CNTF与CNTFRα结合的关键部位进行分析,同时综合了同源比较的结果及CNTF分子自身的特点,设计了2个CNTF的突变体A和B.表达纯化后得到目的蛋白,TF-1细胞增殖实验的结果表明,2个突变体蛋白的比活性均达到106U/mg的水平,且A的活性大于B的活性.上述结果初步表明设计的合理性,为其进一步的开发和应用奠定了基础.