The unprocessed precursor of the neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF), proNGF, has been suggested to be a death-inducing ligand for the neurotrophin receptor p75. Whether proNGF is a true pathophysiological ligand that is secreted, binds p75, and activates cell death in vivo, however, has remained unknown. Here, we report that after brain injury, proNGF was induced and secreted in an active form capable of triggering apoptosis in culture. We further demonstrate that proNGF binds p75 in vivo and that disruption of this binding results in complete rescue of injured adult corticospinal neurons. These data together suggest that proNGF binding to p75 is responsible for the death of adult corticospinal neurons after lesion, and they help to establish proNGF as the pathophysiological ligand that activates the celldeath program by means of p75 after brain injury. Interference in the binding of proNGF to p75 may provide a therapeutic approach for the treatment of disorders involving neuronal loss.

Long-term depression (LTD) of

No abstract

The development of a method is described for the chemical labeling of proteins which occurs with high target specificity, proceeds within seconds to minutes, and offers a free choice of the reporter group. The method relies upon the use of peptide templates, which align a thioester and an Nterminal cysteinyl residue such that an acyl transfer reaction is facilitated at nanomolar concentrations. The protein of interest is N-terminally tagged with a 22 aa long Cys-E3 peptide (acceptor), which is capable of forming a coiled-coil with a reporter-armed K3 peptide (donor). This triggers the transfer of the reporter to the acceptor on the target protein. Because ligation of the two interacting peptides is avoided, the mass increase at the protein of interest is minimal. The method is exemplified by the rapid fluorescent labeling and fluorescence microscopic imaging of the human Y 2 receptor on living cells.