Schuman E M
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Division of Biology 216-76 Caltech Pasadena California 91125 USA.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 1999 Feb;9(1):105-9. doi: 10.1016/s0959-4388(99)80013-0.
Examples of signaling molecules that are devoted to neuronal development at the exclusion of other functions are scarce. It may then come as no surprise to learn that a family of molecules that promote neuronal survival, differentiation and outgrowth also regulate synaptic transmission at both developing and mature synapses. Indeed, many studies over the past five years have shown that neurotrophins, including nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), NT-4/5 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), have both rapid and long-latency influences on synaptic strength. New research has highlighted the enormous range of neurotrophin actions at both developing and mature synapses, demonstrating that transmission can be enhanced or reduced at excitatory and inhibitory synapses by either pre- or postsynaptic mechanisms.
专门用于神经元发育而不具备其他功能的信号分子实例很少见。因此，当了解到一类促进神经元存活、分化和生长的分子也在发育中和成熟的突触处调节突触传递时，可能就不足为奇了。事实上，过去五年的许多研究表明，神经营养因子，包括神经生长因子（NGF）、神经营养因子-3（NT-3）、NT-4/5和脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF），对突触强度具有快速和长期延迟的影响。新的研究突出了神经营养因子在发育中和成熟突触处的广泛作用，表明通过突触前或突触后机制，兴奋性和抑制性突触处的传递均可增强或减弱。
