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BDNF release from single cells elicits local dendritic growth in nearby neurons

Nature Neuroscience volume 5, pages 1177–1184 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

In cultured neurons, the exogenous application of neurotrophins (in homogenous concentrations) alters many features of axonal and dendritic arbors. In vivo, however, release of endogenous neurotrophins from neuronal processes creates spatially heterogeneous neurotrophin distributions. To probe the consequences of such endogenous neurotrophin distribution, we produced 'donor neurons' in ferret cortex brain slices that co-expressed brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and red fluorescent protein (RFP). Using two-photon microscopy, we analyzed their effects on 'recipient neurons' that expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) alone. BDNF released from dendrites and cell bodies acted directly on nearby recipient neurons to increase dendritic branching in a distance-dependent manner. Three-dimensional analysis of donor and recipient dendrites indicated that the BDNF source had to be within 4.5 μm to induce dendritic growth in the recipient neuron. Thus, BDNF released from an individual cell alters the structure of nearby dendrites on an exquisitely local scale.

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Figure 1: Local growth of dendrites of recipient neurons in areas near BDNF donor neurons.
Figure 2: BDNF-induced dendritic branching is highly restricted and correlates with distance from the source of BDNF.
Figure 3: Local dendritic growth is not a general result of neurotrophin overexpression.
Figure 4: Quantification of local dendritic lengths reveals distance-dependent, local effects of BDNF.
Figure 5: Overexpression of a dominant negative form of TrkB (T1) in recipient neurons blocks BDNF-induced branching.
Figure 6: BDNF donor neurons do not influence collateral branching of recipient neuron axons.
Figure 7: Spine and filopodia characteristics are not influenced by BDNF from donor neurons.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. Irving for technical assistance and D. Lo for incisive, helpful discussions. L.C.K. is an investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant EY-11553 and the Human Frontiers Science Program.

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  1. Hadley Wilson Horch

    Present address: Departments of Biology and Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, 6500 College Station, Brunswick, Maine, 04011, USA

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  1. Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3209, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Hadley Wilson Horch & Lawrence C. Katz

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Correspondence to Hadley Wilson Horch.

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Horch, H., Katz, L. BDNF release from single cells elicits local dendritic growth in nearby neurons. Nat Neurosci 5, 1177–1184 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn927

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