Gene expression of neurotrophins and their high-affinity Trk receptors in cultured human Muller cells

Purpose: To investigate the gene expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin 3 (NT-3) and their high-affinity receptors (TrkA, TrkB and TrkC) in cultured human Muller cells. Methods: The polymerase chain reaction was performed using specific primers for NGF, BDNF, NT-3, TrkA, TrkB and TrkC with complementary DNAs as the template, which were generated from poly-A+ RNA of cultured human Muller cells. Results: We detected the precursor mRNA transcripts for NGF, BDNF, NT-3, TrkB and TrkC, but not TrkA. Conclusion: Human Muller cells can direct mRNA expressions of a number of neurotrophins which may have a neurotrophic function in the retina. An autocrine mode of action is suggested, since Muller cells not only synthesize neurotrophic factors, but also express their specific receptors.