The function of neurotrophic factor receptors expressed by the developing adductor motor pool in vivo.

We examined the spatio-temporal relationship between neurotrophic factor receptor (NTF-R) expression and motoneuron (MN) survival in the developing avian spinal cord and observed heterogeneity in the expression of NTF-Rs between, but not within, pools of MNs projecting to individual muscles. We then focused on the role of NTFs in regulating the survival of one motor pool of MNs, all of which innervate a pair of adductor muscles in the thigh and hence compete for survival during the period of programmed cell death (PCD). The complete NTF-R complement of these MNs was analyzed and found to include many, but not all, NTF-Rs. Treatment with exogenous individual NTFs rescued some, but not all, adductor MNs expressing appropriate NTF-Rs. In contrast, administration of multiple NTFs completely rescued adductor MNs from PCD. Additionally, adductor MNs were partially rescued from PCD by NTFs for which they failed to express receptors. NTF-Rs expressed by the nerve but not in the muscle target were capable of mediating survival signals to MNs in trans. Finally, the expression of some NTF-Rs by adductor MNs was not required for MN survival. These studies demonstrate the complexity in NTF regulation of a defined subset of competing MNs and suggest that properties other than NTF-R expression itself can play a role in mediating trophic responses to NTFs.