Neurotrophic factors articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Adipose tissue is an important secretory organ, but less is known about the secretory activity of perivascular fat. Here the authors use proteomics analysis on secretomes from perivascular fat to identify neuronal growth regulator 1 as an adipocyte-derived neurotrophic factor, whose decreased secretion in obesity results in a loss of sympathetic innervation of adipose depots in mice.

    • Elisa Duregotti
    • , Christina M. Reumiller
    •  & Manuel Mayr

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), encoded by the neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase 2 (NTRK2) gene, exhibits intricate splicing patterns and post-translational modifications. Here, the authors perform whole gene and transcript-level analyses and report the TrkB.T1 splice variant enhances PDGF-driven gliomas in vivo and augments PI3K signaling cascades in vitro.

    • Siobhan S. Pattwell
    • , Sonali Arora
    •  & Eric C. Holland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It’s well known that hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory are impaired in experimental models of metabolic diseases, however, it is unclear if maternal diet or metabolic alterations around the gestational age may multigenerationally affect learning and memory. In this study, authors demonstrate that maternal high fat diet-dependent insulin resistance affects synaptic plasticity and memory of descendants until the third generation via reduced exon specific brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus of descendants

    • Salvatore Fusco
    • , Matteo Spinelli
    •  & Claudio Grassi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Programmed cell death is an important part of tissue development, and traditionally it is considered that neuronal death is a stochastic process in response to neurotrophic factor deprivation. Here the authors show that for TrkC+ proprioreceptors, which neurons die is predetermined molecularly by how much TrkC is present, as well as by a gene expression signature.

    • Yiqiao Wang
    • , Haohao Wu
    •  & François Lallemend

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MANF is a neurotrophic factor that is secreted but also mediates the unfolded protein response acting intracellularly. Here, the authors show that MANF expression in the brain is influenced by nutritional cues, and hypothalamic MANF influences food intake and systemic energy homeostasis.

    • Su Yang
    • , Huiming Yang
    •  & Xiao-Jiang Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During development, synapses are selectively strengthened or eliminated by activity-dependent competition. Here, the authors show that BDNF-TrkB retrograde signaling is a “punishment” signal that leads to elimination of climbing fiber-onto-Purkinje cell synapses in the developing cerebellum.

    • Myeongjeong Choo
    • , Taisuke Miyazaki
    •  & Masanobu Kano

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Single-cell characterization and perturbation of neurons is critical for revealing the structure-function relationship of brain cells. Here the authors develop a robot that performs single-cell electroporation and extracellular electrophysiology and can be used for performingin vivosingle-cell experiments in deep brain tissues optically difficult to access.

    • Lu Li
    • , Benjamin Ouellette
    •  & Hongkui Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The endocytic adaptor protein complex AP-2 is mostly known for its role in endocytosis and in synaptic vesicle reformation. Here the authors show that AP-2 also mediates retrograde transport of TrkB-containing autophagosomes in neurons; this process promotes neuronal complexity and prevents the degeneration of cortical and thalamic neurons.

    • Natalia L. Kononenko
    • , Gala A. Claßen
    •  & Volker Haucke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The molecular mechanisms underlying retrograde transport in axons are only partially understood. Villarinet al. show that in cultured DRG neurons, extracellular trophic cues such as NGF dynamically regulate local protein synthesis of dynein cofactors, thus controlling retrograde trafficking in neurons.

    • Joseph M. Villarin
    • , Ethan P. McCurdy
    •  & Ulrich Hengst

  • Article |

    Optogenetic tools allow fine spatial control of signalling pathways using light. Chang et al. present a strategy for constructing light-sensitive receptor tyrosine kinases and demonstrate that optogenetic stimulation of Trk receptors in neurons promotes neurite outgrowth.

    • Ki-Young Chang
    • , Doyeon Woo
    •  & Won Do Heo

  • Article |

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is produced in the brain and is a known regulator of energy homoeostasis. Here Urabe and colleagues show that brain-derived neurotrophic factor-producing haematopoietic cells control appetite by migrating into the hypothalamus, where they make contact with neurons.

    • Hiroshi Urabe
    • , Hideto Kojima
    •  & Hiroshi Kimura

  • Article |

    Irradiation treatment for cancer therapy often causes irreparable damage to adult organs. Knox and colleagues study irradiated mouse submandibular salivary glands and find that restoring parasympathetic nerve function with the neurotrophic factor neurturin improves regeneration.

    • Sarah M. Knox
    • , Isabelle M. A. Lombaert
    •  & Matthew P. Hoffman

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