Regulation of vesicular acetylcholine transporter by the activation of excitatory amino acid receptors in the avian retina.

1. Previous studies have shown that phorbol esters induce protein kinase C (PKC) mediated phosphorylation of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and change its interaction with vesamicol. However, it is not clear whether physiological activation of receptors coupled to PKC activation can alter VAChT behavior.

Sympathetic neuronal survival induced by retinal trophic factors.

Neuronal survival in the vertebrate peripheral nervous system depends on neurotrophic factors available from target tissues. In an attempt to identify novel survival factors, we have studied the effect of secreted factors from retinal cells on the survival of chick sympathetic ganglion neurons. Embryonic day 10 sympathetic neurons undergo programmed cell death after 48 h without appropriate levels of nerve growth factor (NGF).