Nerve growth factor promotes neurite outgrowth in guinea pig myenteric plexus ganglia.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) has important developmental actions in both central and peripheral nervous systems. Primary cultures of neonatal guinea pig myenteric plexus ganglia were used to examine the ability of NGF to stimulate morphological development in enteric neurons. NGF, in the presence of a serum-free medium, produced dose-dependent increases in neurite density, significant at 1 ng/ml and maximal at 100 ng/ml (4.5-fold increase vs. control). Maximum neurite length was also significantly increased at 1 ng/ml, with maximal effects at 100 ng/ml. Coincubation of NGF (50 ng/ml) with monoclonal NGF antibodies abolished increases in both neurite density (128 +/- 19 processes/mm for control, 369 +/- 19 for NGF, 183 +/- 28 for NGF+monoclonal antibodies) and neurite length. Exposure of enteric neurons to low concentrations of NGF (1 ng/ml) was also associated with increased mRNA levels for cytoskeletal genes. alpha-Tubulin mRNA levels were increased 3.9 +/- 0.7 times basal at 48 h. mRNA levels for microtubule-associated protein 2 were increased threefold at 48 h of NGF incubation. NGF demonstrates activities in cultured enteric ganglia that stimulate morphological development.