Molecular Aspects of Development and Aging of the Nervous System

The rapidly expanding fields of molecular and cellular neurobiology are the newest frontiers of neuroscience. This book represents the continuing efforts of the Institute of Developmental Neuroscience and Aging (IDNA) to disseminate the most recent advances on the developing and aging nervous system at the molecular and cellular levels. A group of neuroscientists presented and discussed their findings at a recent IDNA conference held in Athens, Greece, June 15-18, 1988. This meeting was sponsored by the National Hellenic Research Foundation, FIDIA, the Ministry of Research and Technology, the Tourism Organization of Greece, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH. The Directors of the IDNA are grateful to the local committee, Drs. Eleni Fleischer, Costas Sekeris, Michael Alexis, Theony Valcana, and Elias Kouvelas, for their efforts in organizing this meeting and for their successful integration of science and culture for the participants. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the information presented at this conference, including in-depth discussions of each topic by the participants. The chapters are grouped into five general categories which correspond to the subject areas covered during the meeting. These include: Gene and Phenotypic Expression, Growth Factors and Oncogenes, Cytoskeletal and Extracellular Molecules, Neurotransmitters and Hormones, and Molecular Aspects of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease. The section on Gene and Phenotypic Expression includes discussions of transient gene expression in the nervous system (Herschman), developmental regulation of myelin-associated genes (Gordon et al.

Inhalt

Gene and Phenotypic Expression.- Transient Induction of Gene Expression in the Nervous System in Response to Extracellular Signals.- Developmental Regulation of Myelin-Associated Genes in the Normal and the Myelin Deficient Mutant Rat.- Analysis of Glial Scarring in the Mammalian CNS with a GFAP cDNA Probe.- Regulation of the Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and of its Encoding mRNA in the Developing Brain and in Cultured Astrocytes.- Cell Lineage Studies in Avian Neural Crest Ontogeny.- Growth Factors and Oncogenes.- Characterization of Trophic Factors Stored and Secreted by Neurons.- Neuropeptides as Positive or Negative Neuronal Growth Regulatory Factors: Effects of ACTH and Leuenkephalin on Cultured Serotonergic Neurons.- Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Affects and Survival and Development of Mesencephalic Neurons in Culture.- Role of Trophic Factors in Neuronal Aging.- Localization of the Normal Cellular SRC Protein to the Growth Cone of Differentiating Neurons in Brain and Retina.- A Role of RAS Oncogenes in Carcinogenesis and Differentiation.- Neuronal Localization of the Nerve Growth Factor Precursor-Like Immunoreactivity in the Cortex and Hippocampus of the Rat Brain.- Development of NILE Glycoprotein in Chick Brain.- Cytoskeletal and Extracellular Molecules.- Structural and Molecular Polarity in Retinal Photoreceptor Neurons: Roles for the Cytoskeleton.- Matrix Interactions Regulating Myelinogenesis in Cultured Oligodendrocytes.- Cerebellar Granule Cell Migration Involves Proteolysis.- Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule as a Regulator of Cell-Cell Interactions.- Structure and Function of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules NCAM and Ll.- Monosialogangliosides and their Action in Modulating Neuroplastic Behaviors of Neuronal Cells.- Neurotransmitters and Hormones.- Serotonin and Morphogenesis in the Cultured Mouse Embryo.- Neurotransmitter Activation of Second Messenger Pathways for the Control of Growth Cone Behaviors.- Dibutyryl Cyclic AMP Treatment of Astrocytes in Primary Cultures as a Substitute for Normal Morphogenic and 'Functiogenic' Transmitter Signals.- The Ontogeny of Adrenergic Fibers in Rat Spinal Cord.- Early Experimental Influences on Serotonin Pathways During Brain Development.- Ontogeny of the Glucocorticoid Receptor in the Rat Brain.- Molecular Aspects of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease.- Molecular Genetic Approaches in the Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease.- Tau Protein: Its Presence and Metabolism in Human Neuroblastoma Cells.- Genetics of the Alzheimer Amyloid Protein Precursor.- Aberrant Protein Kinase C Cascades in Alzheimer's Disease.- Developmental Expression of Amyloid Precursor Protein in Normal and Trisomy 16 Mice.