BDNF isoforms: a round trip ticket between neurogenesis and serotonin?

DIAZ, SILVINA LAURA; FOLTRAN, ROCÍO BEATRIZ

JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2016

0022-3042

The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, BDNF, was discovered more than 30 years ago and, like other members of the neurotrophin family, this neuropeptide is synthetized as a proneurotrophin, the proBDNF, which is further cleaved to yield mature BDNF. The myriad of actions of these two BDNF isoforms in the central nervous system is constantly increasing and requires the development of sophisticated tools and animal models to refine our understanding. This review is focused on BDNF isoforms, their participation in the process of neurogenesis taking place in the hippocampus of adult mammals, and the modulation of their expression by serotonergic agents. Interestingly, around this triumvirate of BDNF, serotonin and neurogenesis, a series of recent research has emerged with apparently counterintuitive results. This calls for an exhaustive analysis of the data published so far and encourages thorough work in the quest for new hypotheses in the field.