Rabinovsky E D, Smith G M, Browder D P, Shine H D, McManaman J L
Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030.
J Neurosci Res. 1992 Jan;31(1):188-92. doi: 10.1002/jnr.490310124.
Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a 200-amino acid protein expressed in high concentrations by peripheral nerves and is thought to be important for the survival and regeneration of injured motoneurons (Lin et al., J Biol Chem 265:8942-8947, 1990). To better understand CNTF's role in nerve injury we have characterized the effects of crush injury on the expression of CNTF in adult rat sciatic nerves using specific antibody and RNA probes. Following a crush injury, both the protein and mRNA levels undergo pronounced decreases distal to the crush. These changes in CNTF expression were qualitatively distinct from changes in the expression of the low-affinity NGF receptor (p75NGFR), which increases following crush. Thus, the changes in CNTF levels do not reflect an overall down-regulation of mRNA during degeneration, and are inconsistent with the proposed role of CNTF in neuronal injury, since its levels are decreasing at the same time as the requirement for neurotrophic support is increasing.
睫状神经营养因子（CNTF）是一种由外周神经高浓度表达的含200个氨基酸的蛋白质，被认为对受损运动神经元的存活和再生很重要（Lin等人，《生物化学杂志》265:8942 - 8947，1990）。为了更好地理解CNTF在神经损伤中的作用，我们使用特异性抗体和RNA探针，对成年大鼠坐骨神经挤压伤后CNTF的表达变化进行了特征描述。挤压伤后，挤压部位远端的蛋白质和mRNA水平均显著下降。CNTF表达的这些变化在性质上与低亲和力神经生长因子受体（p75NGFR）表达的变化不同，后者在挤压后会增加。因此，CNTF水平的变化并不反映退变过程中mRNA的整体下调，并且与CNTF在神经元损伤中所提出的作用不一致，因为在对神经营养支持的需求增加的同时，其水平却在下降。
