List of Abbreviations

DRG dorsal root ganglion FCS fetal calf serum MAP mitogen-activated protease NGF nerve growth factor PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride SCG superior cervical ganglion SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis Nerve growth factor (NGF) promotes neuronal survival and differentiation and stimulates neurite outgrowth. NGF is synthesized as a precursor, proNGF, which undergoes post-translational processing to generate mature $-NGF. It has been assumed that, in vivo, NGF is largely processed into the mature form and that mature NGF accounts for the biological activity. However, we recently showed that proNGF is abundant in CNS tissues whereas mature NGF is undetectable, suggesting that proNGF has biological functions beyond its role as a precursor. To determine whether proNG