Cloning and expression of a cDNA encoding a novel human neurotrophic factor

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Abstract
A cDNA encoding a novel human neurotrophic factor (designated nerve growth factor‐2; NGF‐2) was cloned from a human glioma cDNA library using a synthetic DNA corresponding to human nerve growth factor (NGF). The cloned cDNA encodes a polypeptide composed of 257 amino acid residues including a prepro‐sequence of 138 residues and a mature region of 119 residues. The amino acid sequence of human NGF‐2 exhibits 58% similarity with that of human NGF. Conditioned medium of COS‐7 cells transfected with an expression plasmid for human NGF‐2 cDNA supported the survival of sensory neurons isolated from dorsal root ganglia of embryonic chicks. A 1.5 kb of NGF‐2 mRNA can be detected from an early development stage in rat brain, by Northern blotting analysis.