Artemin, a novel member of the GDNF ligand family, supports peripheral and central neurons and signals through the GFRα3-RET receptor complex

Robert H. Baloh, Malú G. Tansey, Patricia A. Lampe, Timothy J. Fahrner, Hideki Enomoto, Kelli S. Simburger, Melanie L. Leitner, Toshiyuki Araki, Eugene M. Johnson, Jeffrey Milbrandt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

177 Scopus citations

Abstract

The glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) ligands (GDNF, Neurturin [NTN], and Persephin [PSP]) signal through a multicomponent receptor system composed of a high-affinity binding component (GFRα1GFRα4) and a common signaling component (RET). Here, we report the identification of Artemin, a novel member of the GDNF family, and demonstrate that it is the ligand for the former orphan receptor GFRα3-RET. Artemin is a survival factor for sensory and sympathetic neurons in culture, and its expression pattern suggests that it also influences these neurons in vivo. Artemin can also activate the GFRα1-RET complex and supports the survival of dopaminergic midbrain neurons in culture, indicating that like GDNF (GFRα1RET) and NTN (GFRα2-RET), Artemin has a preferred receptor (GFRα3- RET) but that alternative receptor interactions also occur.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1291-1302
Number of pages12
JournalNeuron
Volume21
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1998

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