The neurotrophin BDNF is a regulatory factor of several and in part contrasting aspects of the biology of neural cells, including survival, growth, differentiation but also cell death. Regulation of the local availability of BDNF at distinct subcellular domains such as the cell soma, dendrites, axons and spines, appears to be the key to confer spatial and temporal specificity of the different effects elicited by this neurotrophin. Here we review recent findings in the context of epileptogenesis and visual cortex maturation showing that different BDNF mRNA trascripts are localized at different subcellular locations in hippocampal and cortical neurons and that strong depolarizing stimuli, both in vitro and in vivo, elicit accumulation of BDNF mRNA and protein in the distal dendrites through a signalling pathway involving the activation of the NMDA and TrkB receptors and an intracellular increase in Ca2+ concentration. Finally, we propose that the regulation of the delivery of BDNF mRNA and protein to the different subcellular domains, particularly to the dendritic compartment, may represent a fundamental aspect of the processes of cellular and synaptic morphological rearrangements underlying epileptogenesis and postnatal development of the visual cortex.
What is the biological significance of BDNF mRNA targeting in the dendrites? Clues from epilepsy and cortical development.
SIMONATO, Michele
2006
Abstract
The neurotrophin BDNF is a regulatory factor of several and in part contrasting aspects of the biology of neural cells, including survival, growth, differentiation but also cell death. Regulation of the local availability of BDNF at distinct subcellular domains such as the cell soma, dendrites, axons and spines, appears to be the key to confer spatial and temporal specificity of the different effects elicited by this neurotrophin. Here we review recent findings in the context of epileptogenesis and visual cortex maturation showing that different BDNF mRNA trascripts are localized at different subcellular locations in hippocampal and cortical neurons and that strong depolarizing stimuli, both in vitro and in vivo, elicit accumulation of BDNF mRNA and protein in the distal dendrites through a signalling pathway involving the activation of the NMDA and TrkB receptors and an intracellular increase in Ca2+ concentration. Finally, we propose that the regulation of the delivery of BDNF mRNA and protein to the different subcellular domains, particularly to the dendritic compartment, may represent a fundamental aspect of the processes of cellular and synaptic morphological rearrangements underlying epileptogenesis and postnatal development of the visual cortex.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
