Postnatal reduction of BDNF regulates the developmental remodeling of taste bud innervation.

ABSTRACT: The refinement of innervation is a common developmental mechanism that serves to increase the specificity of connections following initial innervation. In the peripheral gustatory system, the extent to which innervation is refined and how refinement might be regulated is unclear. The initial innervation of taste buds is controlled by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Following initial innervation, taste receptor cells are added and become newly innervated. The connections between the taste receptor cells and nerve fibers are likely to be specific in order to retain peripheral coding mechanisms. Here, we explored the possibility that the down-regulation of BDNF regulates the refinement of taste bud innervation during postnatal development. An analysis of BDNF expression in Bdnf(lacZ

SUBMITTER: Huang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4572574 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature