Lu Bai
Section on Neural Development and Plasticity, NICHD, NIH, Building 49, Rm. 6A80, 49 Convent Dr., MSC4480, Bethesda, MD 20892-4480, USA.
Prog Brain Res. 2004;146:137-50. doi: 10.1016/s0079-6123(03)46010-x.
While it has now been well accepted that neurotrophins play an important role in synapse development and plasticity, the specific effects of each neurotrophin on different populations of neurons at different developmental stages have just begun to be worked out. Moreover, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the synaptic function of neurotrophins remain poorly understood. In general, synaptic effects of neurotrophins could be divided into two categories: acute effect on synaptic transmission and plasticity occurring within seconds or minutes after cells are exposed to a neurotrophin, and long-term effect on synaptic structures and function that takes days to accomplish. In this review I have considered the previous findings on neurotrophic regulation of synapses in view of these two categories. Acute and long-term effects of neurotrophins are reexamined in detail in three model systems: the neuromuscular junction, the hippocampus and the visual cortex. Potential molecular mechanisms that mediate the acute or long-term neurotrophic regulation are discussed. Efforts are made to understand the mechanistic differences between the two effects and their relationships. Further study of these mechanisms will help us better understand how neurotrophins can achieve diverse and synapse-specific modulation.
虽然目前人们已经普遍接受神经营养因子在突触发育和可塑性中发挥重要作用，但每种神经营养因子在不同发育阶段对不同神经元群体的具体影响才刚刚开始弄清楚。此外，神经营养因子突触功能背后的细胞和分子机制仍知之甚少。一般来说，神经营养因子的突触效应可分为两类：对突触传递和可塑性的急性效应，在细胞暴露于神经营养因子后数秒或数分钟内发生；对突触结构和功能的长期效应，需要数天才能完成。在这篇综述中，我从这两类角度考虑了先前关于神经营养因子对突触调节的研究结果。在三个模型系统中详细重新审视了神经营养因子的急性和长期效应：神经肌肉接头、海马体和视觉皮层。讨论了介导急性或长期神经营养调节的潜在分子机制。努力理解这两种效应之间的机制差异及其关系。对这些机制的进一步研究将有助于我们更好地理解神经营养因子如何实现多样且突触特异性的调节。
