Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a survival factor for certain sensory neurons during development. Using electrophysiology in BDNF-deficient mice, we show here that slowly adapting mechanoreceptors (SAM), but not other types of cutaneous afferents, require BDNF in postnatal life for normal mechanotransduction. Neurons lacking BDNF did not die, but instead showed a profound and specific reduction in their mechanical sensitivity, which was quantitatively the same in BDNF -/- and BDNF +/- animals. Postnatal treatment of BDNF +/- mice with recombinant BDNF completely rescued the mechanosensitivity deficit. Therefore BDNF is important for regulating SAM mechanosensitivity, independent of any survival-promoting function.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Sonderforschungsbereich 353 (MK). GRL was supported during the first stages of this work by an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship. The technical assistance of Anke Scheer (MDC) is acknowledged. We wish to thank Dr. Ilka Bergmann for her help with the confocal imaging and Dr. Cheryl Stucky for critical reading of the manuscript.
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Carroll, P., Lewin, G., Koltzenburg, M. et al. A role for BDNF in mechanosensation. Nat Neurosci 1, 42–46 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/242
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/242
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