THE ROLE OF NERVE GROWTH FACTOR IN THE RAMIFICATION OF SYMPATHETIC NERVE FIBRES INTO THE RAT IRIS IN ORGAN CULTURE |
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| Authors: | D G Johnson S D Silberstein I Hanbauer I J Kopin |
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| Institution: | Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Small amounts of nerve growth factor (NGF) were present in the superior cervical ganglion and the iris of the rat. The observations that NGF content in each of the tissues was depleted during organ culture and that more NGF appeared in the media than was originally present in the tissues indicated that synthesis or activation of NGF had occurred in organ culture. Antibody to NGF or the depletion of endogenous NGF retarded growth of new sympathetic axons into irides in organ culture. Exogenously added NGF appeared to enhance the initiation of axonal sprouting and the rate of the ramification of nerve fibres. |
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