Abstract
The receptor tyrosine kinase RET is part of a functional receptor for glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurturin (NTN) which are potent neurotrophic factors for motoneurons. Here, we have studied RET-like immunoreactivity of motoneurons in post-mortem spinal cords of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in controls. We report that the intensity of RET-like immunostaining of motoneurons in ALS is decreased significantly to 81% of control values. Despite this change, the proportion of all large (> 40 μm diameter) motoneurons showing RET-like immunoreactivity in ALS remains high (82-85%) and is not significantly different to controls. The persistence of RET-like immunoreactivity in the majority of large motoneurons in ALS could be important in the design of clinical trials of GDNF and NTN.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 351-354 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Brain Research |
Volume | 789 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Apr 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- GDNF receptor
- Immunocytochemistry
- RET
- Spinal motoneuron