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Molecular cloning and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor

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Abstract

DURING the development of the vertebrate nervous system, many neurons depend for survival on interactions with their target cells1. Specific proteins are thought to be released by the target cells and to play an essential role in these interactions. So far, only one such protein, nerve growth factor, has been fully characterized. This has been possible because of the extraordinarily (and unex-plained) large quantities of this protein in some adult tissues that are of no relevance to the developing nervous system2. Whereas the dependency of many neurons on their target cells for normal development, and the restricted neuronal specificity of nerve growth factor have long suggested the existence of other such proteins, their low abundance has rendered their characterization difficult. Here we report the full primary structure of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This very rare protein is known to promote the survival of neuronal populations that are all located either in the central nervous system or directly connected with it3. The messenger RNA for brain-derived neurotrophic factor was found predominantly in the central nervous system, and the sequence of the protein indicates that it is structurally related to nerve growth factor. These results establish that these two neurotrophic factors are related both functionally and structurally.

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Author notes

  1. Piotr Masiakowski

    Present address: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591-6707, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry, Department of Neurochemistry, Genecenter, Am Klopferspitz ISA, 8033, Planegg-Martinsried, FRG

    Joachim Leibrock, Andreas Hohn, Magdalena Hofer, Bastian Hengerer & Hans Thoenen

  2. Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Genecenter, Am Klopferspitz ISA, 8033, Planegg-Martinsried, FRG

    Friedrich Lottspeich

Authors
  1. Joachim Leibrock
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  2. Friedrich Lottspeich
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  3. Andreas Hohn
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  4. Magdalena Hofer
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  5. Bastian Hengerer
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  6. Piotr Masiakowski
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  7. Hans Thoenen
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  8. Yves-Alain Barde
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Leibrock, J., Lottspeich, F., Hohn, A. et al. Molecular cloning and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Nature 341, 149–152 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/341149a0

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