TY  - JOUR
A1  - Stöckli, K. A.
A1  - Lililien, L. E.
A1  - Näher- Noé, M.
A1  - Breitfeld, G.
A1  - Hughes, Richard A.
A1  - Raff, M. C.
A1  - Thoenen, Hans
A1  - Sendtner, Michael
T1  - Regional distribution, developmental changes, and cellular localization of CNTF-mRNA and protein in the rat brain
N2  - Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a potent survival molecule for a variety of embryonic neurons in culture. The developmental expression of CNTF occurs clearly after the time period of the physiological cell death of CNTF-responsive neurons. This, together with the sites of expression, excludes CNTF as a target-derived neuronal survival factor, at least in rodents. However, CNTF also participates in the induction of type 2 astrocyte differentiation in vitro. Here we demonstrate that the time course of the expression of CNTF-mRNA and protein in the rat optic nerve (as evaluated by quantitative Northern blot analysis and biological activity, respectively) is compatible with such a glial differentiation function of CNTF in vivo. We also show that the type 2 astrocyte-inducing- activity previously demonstrated in optic nerve extract can be precipitated by an antiserum against CNTF. Immunohistochemical analysis of astrocytes in vitro and in vivo demonstrates that the expression of CNTF is confined to a subpopulation of type 1 astrocytes. The olfactory bulb of adult rats has comparably high levels of CNTF to the optic nerve, and here again, CNTF-immunoreactivity is localized in a subpopulation of astrocytes. However, the postnatal expression of CNTF in the olfactory bulb occurs later than in the optic nerve. In other brain regions both CNTF-mRNA and protein levels are much lower.
Y1  - 1991
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-31172
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lillien, Laura E.
A1  - Sendtner, Michael
A1  - Rohrer, Hermann
A1  - Hughes, Simon M.
A1  - Raff, Martin C.
T1  - Type-2 Astrocyte Development in Rat Brain Cultures is initiated by a CNTF-like protein produced by type-1 astrocytes
N2  - No abstract available
Y1  - 1988
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-31708
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hughes, Simon M.
A1  - Lillien, Laura E.
A1  - Raff, Martin C.
A1  - Rohrer, Hermann
A1  - Sendtner, Michael
T1  - Ciliary neurotrophic factor induces type-2 astrocyte differentiation in culture
N2  - We have been studying a population of bipotential glial progenitor cells in the perinatal rat optic nerve and brain in an attempt to understand how cells choose between alternative fates in the developing mammalian central nervous system (CNS). This cell population gives rise initially to oligodendrocytes and then to type-2 astrocytes1 both of which apparently collaborate in sheathing axons in the CNS2,3. In vitro studies suggest that oligodendrocyte differentiation is the constitutive pathway of development for the oligodendrocyte-type-2-astrocyte (O-2A) progenitor cell4,5, whereas type-2 astrocyte differentiation depends on a specific inducing protein6. This protein is present in the developing optic nerve when type-2 astrocytes are differentiating and can induce 0-2A progenitor cells in vitro to express glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)6, a marker of astrocyte differentiation7. Here we show that the type-2-astrocyte-inducing protein is similar or identical to ciliary neutrotrophic factor (CNTF)8,9, which promotes the survival of some types of peripheral neurons in vitro8, including ciliary ganglion neurons8,10. This suggests that CNTF, in addition to its effect on neurons, may be responsible for triggering type-2 astrocyte differentiation in the developing CNS.
Y1  - 1988
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-42660
ER  -