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Fibroblast Growth Factor‐5 Promotes Differentiation of Cultured Rat Septal Cholinergic and Raphe Serotonergic Neurons: Comparison with the Effects of Neurotrophins
Author(s) -
Lindholm Dan,
Hartikka Jukka,
Penha Berzaghi Maria,
Castrén Eero,
Tzimagiorgis Georgios,
Hughes Richard A.,
Thoenen Hans
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.1994.tb00267.x
Subject(s) - endocrinology , serotonergic , medicine , nerve growth factor , cholinergic neuron , neurotrophin , biology , cholinergic , neurotrophic factors , fibroblast growth factor , serotonin , receptor
Fibroblast growth factor‐5 (FGF‐5) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor gene family, which has a signal sequence characteristic of secretory proteins. FGF‐5 mRNA has previously been shown to be present in the adult mouse brain. Here we demonstrate that recombinant FGF‐5 has neurotrophic activity on cultured rat septal cholinergic and raphe serotonergic neurons. The effect of FGF‐5 on serotonin uptake was stronger than that evoked with either brain‐derived neurotrophic factor or neurotrophin‐3. FGF‐5 also increased the choline acetyltransferase activity of cultured rat septal cholinergic neurons, the effect being additive to that of nerve growth factor. In situ hybridization experiments and immunohistochemistry using a specific anti‐FGF‐5 antibody demonstrated that FGF‐5 is expressed in rat hippocampal neurons. Like nerve growth factor mRNA, the levels of FGF‐5 mRNA in the rat hippocampus increased substantially during early postnatal development. In addition, injection of the muscarinic receptor agonist pilocarpine elevated FGF‐5 mRNA. The presence of the secretory FGF‐5 in the rat hippocampus, a target field of septal cholinergic and raphe serotonergic neurons, suggests that FGF‐5 acts as a trophic factor for these neurons also in vivo.