Extracts of bovine heart, rat heart, and rat skeletal muscle were chromatographically separated and the fractions tested for their ability to maintain the survival of dissociated sympathetic, parasympathetic, and sensory neurones. Bovine heart contained at least five, rat heart at least six, and rat skeletal muscle at least four active components differing in their physicochemical properties and their target selectivity. Bovine and rat heart appeared to contain at least two components in common. The differences in active components found in the three tissues are consistent with a complex and perhaps tissue-specific system regulating neuronal survival.
The relationship has been studied between a high and a low molecular weight form of a bovine cardiac factor that supports the survival of avian ciliary ganglionic neurones in culture. Reversible dissociation of the high molecular weight form into identical or similarly sized subunits of apparent molecular weight in the range 15,000-30,000 has been demonstrated. In addition, other inactive high molecular weight components of cardiac extract were found to interact synergistically with both active forms of the factor.
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