Disease relevance of GDNF

• The objective of this work was determine whether rat BMSC express NGF and GDNF, in order to study its potential application for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases [1].

High impact information on GDNF

• Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family receptor alpha-1 (GFRalpha-1) is a receptor component of GDNF that associates with and activates the tyrosine kinase receptor Ret [2].
• To further understand GDNF and its receptor system in the PNS, we first characterized the expression of GFRalpha-1 in bovine peripheral nerve in vivo [2].
• Addition of exogenous GDNF to the culture medium decreased the number of stem cells present at 1 wk of coculture, but enhanced stem cell maintenance at 2 wk compared to cultures without added GDNF [3].
• Characterization of the feeder cell line revealed endogenous expression of Gdnf mRNA and protein [3].
• We show here that adrenal medullary chromaffin cells synthesize GDNF mRNA and contain immunoreactive GDNF protein [4].

Anatomical context of GDNF

• These data indicate that frozen-thawed bovine spermatogonial stem cells survive cryopreservation and can be maintained during coculture with a feeder cell line in which the maintenance is influenced by GDNF [3].
• Numbers of single (A(s)) and paired (A(pr)) spermatogonia were significantly higher in GDNF treated cultures at Days 15 and 25 (P<0.01 and 0.05, respectively), and the ratio of A(s) to A(pr) and spermatogonial chains (A(al)) was also higher indicating enhanced self-renewal of the SSC [5].
• We studied the development of primary co-cultures of prepubertal bovine Sertoli cells and A spermatogonia and the effect of glial cell line-derived neurotropic factor (GDNF) on the numbers and types of spermatogonia, the formation of spermatogonial colonies and the capacity of the cultured SSC to colonize a recipient mouse testis [5].
• Expression and localization of GDNF in developing and adult adrenal chromaffin cells [4].
• Most of the chromaffin cells within the adult rat adrenal medulla are GDNF immunoreactive, including both the noradrenergic and adrenergic subpopulations [4].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of GDNF

• Spermatogonial stem cell transplantation experiments revealed a 2-fold increase in stem cell activity in GDNF treated spermatogonial cultures (P<0.01) [5].
• METHODS: BMSCs were acquired from rabbit marrow and divided into control group, GDNF (10 ng/ml) group [6].

References