Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003 Jun 15;258(2):319-33.
doi: 10.1016/s0012-1606(03)00120-9.

Nitric oxide acts in a positive feedback loop with BDNF to regulate neural progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in the mammalian brain

Aiwu Cheng  1 , Shuqin Wang, Jingli Cai, Mahendra S Rao, Mark P Mattson
Affiliations
Free article

Nitric oxide acts in a positive feedback loop with BDNF to regulate neural progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in the mammalian brain

Aiwu Cheng et al. Dev Biol. .
Free article

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is believed to act as an intercellular signal that regulates synaptic plasticity in mature neurons. We now report that NO also regulates the proliferation and differentiation of mouse brain neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Treatment of dissociated mouse cortical neuroepithelial cluster cell cultures with the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME or the NO scavenger hemoglobin increased cell proliferation and decreased differentiation of the NPCs into neurons, whereas the NO donor sodium nitroprusside inhibited NPC proliferation and increased neuronal differentiation. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) reduced NPC proliferation and increased the expression of neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) in differentiating neurons. The stimulatory effect of BDNF on neuronal differentation of NPC was blocked by L-NAME and hemoglobin, suggesting that NO produced by the latter cells inhibited proliferation and induced neuronal differentiation of neighboring NPCs. A similar role for NO in regulating the switch of neural stem cells from proliferation to differentiation in the adult brain is suggested by data showing that NO synthase inhibition enhances NPC proliferation and inhibits neuronal differentiation in the subventricular zone of adult mice. These findings identify NO as a paracrine messenger stimulated by neurotrophin signaling in newly generated neurons to control the proliferation and differentiation of NPC, a novel mechanism for the regulation of developmental and adult neurogenesis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources