Crutcher K A
CRC Crit Rev Clin Neurobiol. 1986;2(3):297-333.
The role of growth factors in the development of the nervous system, as well as in injury-induced plasticity, is of great interest. A neuronal growth factor is any substance that influences the growth of neurons, but two general classes of factors exist: diffusible substances and substrate-bound factors. Growth factors may affect neuronal survival as well as the extent and rate of neurite outgrowth in vitro. Although progress is slowly being made in the identification and characterization of putative growth factors, nerve growth factor (NGF) is the only identified molecule that clearly influences neuronal growth in vivo. Furthermore, although there are many examples of neuronal plasticity following injury, the role of growth factors in such rearrangements remains to be established. However, one model of collateral sprouting of axons from the peripheral nervous system (PNS) into the central nervous system (CNS) appears to involve the action of a growth factor with properties similar to NGF. The identification of specific molecules that affect neuronal growth should lead to an understanding of the etiology of degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and, hopefully, to rational therapeutic approaches.
生长因子在神经系统发育以及损伤诱导的可塑性方面所起的作用，备受关注。神经元生长因子是指任何影响神经元生长的物质，但存在两大类因子：可扩散物质和与底物结合的因子。生长因子可能会影响神经元的存活以及体外神经突生长的程度和速率。尽管在确定和表征假定的生长因子方面进展缓慢，但神经生长因子（NGF）是唯一已明确在体内影响神经元生长的已鉴定分子。此外，虽然损伤后有许多神经元可塑性的例子，但生长因子在这种重排中的作用仍有待确定。然而，一种外周神经系统（PNS）轴突向中枢神经系统（CNS）侧支发芽的模型似乎涉及一种具有与NGF相似特性的生长因子的作用。确定影响神经元生长的特定分子应有助于理解诸如阿尔茨海默病等退行性神经疾病的病因，并有望带来合理的治疗方法。
