NERVE GROWTH FACTOR AND THE ACTIVITY OF TYROSINE HYDROXYLASE IN ORGAN CULTURES OF RAT SUPERIOR CERVICAL GANGLIA

— Superior cervical ganglia from young rats were cultured in the absence of serum. The effect of nerve growth factor on the level of tyrosine hydroxylase was studied. In the absence of nerve growth factor the specific activity of tyrosine hydroxylase fell by more than 50% within 48 h. In the presence of nerve growth factor the total and specific activities were maintained and even increased in the same period. Both the 2.5 S and the 7 S forms of nerve growth factor were effective. Oxidized nerve growth factor had no effect except when present in very high concentration. Purified antibody to nerve growth factor was inhibitory. Insulin had only a slight effect in this system, but dibutyryl CAMP elevated tyrosine hydroxylase activity substantially. Propranolol inhibited the action of nerve growth factor but its action appeared to be nonspecific and unrelated to its action on the β-adrenergic receptor. Changes in the activity of dihydropteridine reductase paralleled those seen in tyrosine hydroxylase.