Abstract
Neurotrophin regulation of neuronal morphology is complex and may involve differential action of alternative Trk receptor isoforms. We transfected ferret visual cortical slices with full-length and truncated TrkB receptors to examine their roles in regulating cortical dendrite development. These TrkB isoforms had differential effects on dendritic arborization: whereas full-length TrkB increased proximal dendritic branching, truncated TrkB promoted net elongation of distal dendrites. The morphological effects of each receptor isoform were distinct, yet their actions inhibited one another. Actions of the truncated TrkB receptor did not involve unmasking of endogenous TrkC signaling. These results suggest that TrkB receptors do not regulate dendritic growth per se but, rather, the mode of such growth.
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Acknowledgements
We thank D. Kryl and P. Barker for providing myc-tagged TrkB and TrkC plasmids, A. Haapasalo and E. Castren for providing FLAG-tagged TrkB, M. Bolton, N. Cant, D. Chikaraishi, L. Katz, J. McNamara, A. Pittman and N. Tang Sherwood for comments and advice and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for providing BDNF and NT-4/5. This work was supported by grants from the NIH (NEI EY11553), the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, the Ruth K. Broad Biomedical Research Foundation and the Duke Medical Scientist Training Program.
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Yacoubian, T., Lo, D. Truncated and full-length TrkB receptors regulate distinct modes of dendritic growth. Nat Neurosci 3, 342–349 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/73911
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/73911