Description
NGF is mainly responsible for the survival and the differentiation and the functional activities of sensory and sympathetic neurons in the peripheral nervous system. It also plays an important role in the development and functional activities of cholinergic neurons in the central nervous system. Since NGF is synthesized also in non-neuronal tissues it may have a much wider spectrum of biological activities than thought previously. NGF stimulates chemotactic migration of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro. NGF stimulates the growth and differentiation of B- cells and the growth of T- cells and of some tumor cell types. NGF inhibits immunoglobulin production by various human plasma cell. The cytokines IL1, IL6, and bFGF are potent inducers of NGF. NGF induces the synthesis of IL1 in pheochromocytoma cells which in turn acts as a growth factor for glial cells and induces the synthesis of NGF following nerve injuries