Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
Volume 78, Issue 2, Pages 221-229Publisher
WILEY-BLACKWELL
DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2001.00430.x
Keywords
electrical stimulation; peptide release; receptor protein tyrosine kinase; sensory neurons; trophic factors
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Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a trophic factor with an established role in sensory neuron development. More recently it has also been shown to support adult sensory neuron survival and exert a neuroprotective effect on damaged sensory neurons. Some adult small-sized dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells that are GDNF-sensitive sensory neurons express the inhibitory peptide somatostatin (SOM). Thus, we tested the hypothesis that prolonged GDNF administration would regulate SOM expression in sensory neuron cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and activity-induced release of SOM from axon terminals in the dorsal horn. Continuous intrathecal delivery of GDNF for 11-13 days significantly increased the number of small DRG cells that expressed SOM. Furthermore, GDNF treatment evoked SOM release in the isolated dorsal horn following electrical stimulation of the dorsal roots that was otherwise undetectable in control rats. Conversely capsaicin-induced release of SOM (EC50 50 nM) was not modified by GDNF treatment. These results show that GDNF can regulate central synaptic function in SOM-containing sensory neurons.
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