Regulation of BDNF promoters in the rat hippocampus.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor belongs to the neurotrophin family of trophic factors. Recently we have described four promoters in the BDNF gene. We have analyzed the hippocampal expression pattern of BDNF mRNA's containing different 5' exons during postnatal development. This analysis has revealed distinct regulation of promoters I and II compared to promoters III and IV, which suggests the presence of common regulatory elements for these clusters of promoters. Induction of different BDNF promoters after treatment with kainic acid combined with glutamate antagonists MK801 and NBQX discloses the differential participation of different glutamate receptor subtypes in regulation of the BDNF gene in the hippocampus.