Anti-mouse Nerve Growth Factor

Anti-mouse Nerve Growth Factor

Product#:

AN-240

Sizes:

50 ml

0.2 ml

The neurotrophins ("neuro" means nerve and "trophe" means nutrient) are a  

family of soluble, basic growth factors which regulate neuronal development,  

maintenance, survival and death in the CNS and the PNS.¹ NGF, the first  

member of the family to be discovered, was originally purified as a factor able  

to support survival of sympathetic and sensory spinal neurons in culture.²  

It is synthesized and secreted by sympathetic and sensory target organs and  

provides trophic support to neurons as they reach their final target.³  

Neurotrophin secretion also increases in the nervous system following injury.  

Schwann cells, fibroblasts, and activated mast cells normally synthesize NGF  

constitutively, however direct trauma and induced cytokines combine to  

increase neurotrophin production in these cells after injury.⁴ 



NGF is purified in three forms: the 7S, 2.5S and b. The 7S, 130 kDa, form  

occurs naturally in mouse submaxillary glands, and is a multimeric protein  

composed of two a, one b and two g subunits. The name is  

derived from its sedimentation co-efficient, 7S. The biologically active subunit  

is the b, which is a 26 kDa dimer composed of two identical 120 amino acid  

chains held together by hydrophobic interactions.⁵ The 2.5S form is 9 amino  

acids shorter than the b form, because of proteolysis that occurs during the  

purification process.⁶ The structural hallmark of all the neurotrophins is the  

characteristic arrangement of the disulfide bridges known as the cysteine knot,  

which has been found in other growth factors such as PDGF.⁷ There is a 95.8% homology  

between the rat and mouse forms, and a 85% homology between the human and mouse. 



NGF has been shown to regulate neuronal survival, development function and plasticity.⁸  

Recently, involvement of NGF in processes not involving neuronal cells  

has been shown, such as asthma,⁹ psoriasis¹⁰ and wound healing.¹¹  

The biological effects of NGF are mediated by two receptors: 

TrkA, which is specific for NGF, and p75, which binds all the neurotrophins.¹² 

Host:

Rabbit.

Epitope:

Amino acid residues 130-241 of the highly purified 2.5S mouse NGF.  Homology with other species: 95.8% homologous with rat, 85% homologous with human.  Specificity: No cross reactivity with BDNF, NT-3 or NT-4.

Applications:

Western Blotting:

Western blotting using Anti-mNGF antibody (1:200):

Immunohistochemistry:

Rat brain sections.

NGF immunoreactivity in the rat hippocampus.  Frozen sections were either incubated with Anti-mNGF (#AN-240) (A) or with Anit-mNGF pre-incubated with mNGF 2.5S (#N-100) (control, B).

References:

1. Roux, P. et al. (2002) Prog. Neurobiol. 67, 203.

2. Levi-Montalcini, R. (1966) Harvey Lect. 60, 217.

3. Farinas, I. et al. (1998) Neuron 21, 325.

4. Levi-Montalcini, R.et al. (1996) Trends Neurosci. 19, 514.

5. Bradshaw, R.A. (1978) Ann. Rev. Biochem 47, 191.

6. Bocchini, V. and Angeletti, P.U. (1969) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 64, 787.

7. McDonald, N.Q.et al. (1991) Nature 354, 411.

8. Huang, E.J. and Reichardt, L.F. (2001) Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 24, 677.

9. Freund V. and Frossard, N. (1994) Prog. Brain Res. 146, 335.

10. Raychaudhuri, S.P. and Raychaudhuri, S.K. (2004) Prog. Brain Res. 146, 433.

11. Kawamoto, K. and Matsuda, H. (2004) Prog. Brain. Res. 146, 369.

12. Teng, K.K. and Hempstead, B.L. (2004) Cell Mol. Life Sci. 61, 35.