PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Abstract
BDNF is produced from many transcripts that display distinct
subcellular localization, suggesting that spatially restricted effects
occur as a function of genetic and physiological regulation. Different
BDNF 5′ splice variants give a restricted localization in the
cell body or the proximal and distal compartments of dendrites;
however, the functional consequences are not known. Silencing
individual endogenous transcripts or overexpressing BDNF-GFP
transcripts in cultured neurons demonstrated that whereas some
transcripts (1 and 4) selectively affected proximal dendrites, others
(2C and 6) affected distal dendrites. Moreover, segregation of
BDNF transcripts resulted in a highly selective activation of the
BDNF TrkB receptor. These studies indicate that spatial segregation
of BDNF transcripts enables BDNF to differentially shape distinct
dendritic compartments.
