@article{fc3939c61c7d455789372efa920d6b9d,
title = "Gene targeting reveals a critical role for neurturin in the development and maintenance of enteric, sensory, and parasympathetic neurons",
abstract = "Neurturin (NTN) is a neuronal survival factor that activates the Ret tyrosine kinase in the presence of a GPI-linked coreceptor (either GFRα1 or GFRα2). Neurturin-deficient (NTN(-/-)) mice generated by homologous recombination are viable and fertile but have defects in the enteric nervous system, including reduced myenteric plexus innervation density and reduced gastrointestinal motility. Parasympathetic innervation of the lacrimal and submandibular salivary gland is dramatically reduced in NTN(-/-) mice, indicating that Neurturin is a neurotrophic factor for parasympathetic neurons. GFRα2-expressing cells in the trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia are also depleted in NTN(-/-) mice. The loss of GFRα2-expressing neurons, in conjunction with earlier studies, provides strong support for GFRα2/Ret receptor complexes as the critical mediators of NTN function in vivo.",
author = "Heuckeroth, {Robert O.} and Hideki Enomoto and Grider, {John R.} and Golden, {Judith P.} and Hanke, {Julie A.} and Alana Jackman and Molliver, {Derek C.} and Bardgett, {Mark E.} and Snider, {William D.} and Johnson, {Eugene M.} and Jeffrey Milbrandt",
note = "Funding Information: We are indebted to P. Kotzbauer and L. Tourtellotte for assistance with early aspects of this project. We thank J. Matsui and K. Ohelemiller for brainstem auditory-evoked response testing. We appreciate the guidance of W. Tourtellotte for histologic analysis of the mice, T. Araki for advice and assistance with in situ techniques, and R. Baloh for helpful comments on the manuscript. We thank and G. Gavrilina, T. Gorodinski, C. Bollinger, P. Osborne, and P. Lampe for expert technical assistance. We are grateful to M. S. Airaksinen for freely sharing information about the GFRα2-deficient mouse prior to publication. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants KO8 HD01166–01 (R. O. H.), RO1 AG13730 (J. M.), RO1 AG13729 (E. M. J.), RO1 DK34153 (J. R. G.), and K21 MH01109 (M. E. B.) and by Genentech. Washington University, E. M. J., and J. M. may receive income based on a license to Genentech. R. O. H. was supported by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Young Investigator Award and by the Miles and Shirley Fiterman Foundation Basic Science Research Award.",
year = "1999",
month = feb,
doi = "10.1016/S0896-6273(00)81087-9",
language = "English",
volume = "22",
pages = "253--263",
journal = "Neuron",
issn = "0896-6273",
number = "2",
}