Mapping of neurotrophin receptors on adult sensory neurons

The paper discussed in this chapter describes the first mapping of neurotrophin receptors in adult sensory neurons. Neurotrophins and their receptors were a particularly hot topic at the time, but the primary focus of interest had been in their role in development. In this paper, McMahon and colleagues characterized both mRNA and protein expression of the recently discovered trk receptors on defined populations of adult sensory neurons, correlating trk expression with other primary afferent projection neuron properties such as cell size and neuronal function. Furthermore, by showing clear correlations between the expression of different trk receptors and the physical and functional properties of defined primary afferent projections, the authors provided key evidence suggesting that nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3 acted on functionally distinct populations of adult sensory neurons. This paper provided the basis for subsequent research on neurotrophin signalling and function in both the healthy and the diseased nervous system.