Transcriptional programs controlled by NGF signaling in developing mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons

During embryogenesis, nociceptive sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia depend intimately on Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) for neuronal survival, maturation and target innervation. NGF is a secreted molecular signal synthesized by neuronal target tissues. In developing nociceptors, NGF engages the receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA to activate a gene transcriptional program involving the regulation of hundreds of transcripts. To identify NGF-dependent genes in developing mouse nociceptors, we have designed and performed two separate microarray screens to compare gene expression profiles of DRG neurons either with or lacking NGF signaling.

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