The Biosynthesis and Processing of Proteins in the Mouse 7S Nerve Growth Factor Complex

Although a great deal is known about the structure of the nerve growth factor (NGF) and its role in the development and maintenance of sensory and sympathetic neurons, a number of significant questions remain to be answered concerning both the physiological sources of the factor and the mechanisms of its actions. Two main approaches to the first question, the identity of the tissues or cells that produce NGF, have involved the development of specific and highly sensitive radioimmunoassays for NGF (Thoenen et al., this volume) and the isolation of the cDNA for the NGF mRNA (Scott et al. 1983; Ullrich et al. 1983). It is reasonable to assume that the application of these two methodologies will lead quite rapidly to a better understanding of the sites of biosynthesis of NGF. A considerable amount of indirect evidence suggests that the target tissues of both sensory and sympathetic neurons are principal sites...