Neurotrophin 3 and its receptor TrkC immunoreactivity in glucagon cells of buffalo pancreas.

Summary Neurotrophin 3(NT3), a member of the neurotrophinfamily, and its specific receptor tyrosine kinaseC (TrkC) are involved in the differentiation, survival, and maintenance of many neuronal populations. Recently, NT3 and TrkC were also retained involved in the biology of non-neuronal tissues. In this study, we report the presence of NT3- and TrkC-immunoreactive cells in the endocrine pancreas of adult buffalos. They were usually distributed at the periphery of islets and showed intense immunoreactivity. By double immunohistochemical staining, NT3- and TrkC-IR resulted to be colocalizedin glucagon immunoreactive cells. These findings suggest endocrine and/or autocrine roles of NT3 in pancreatic A cells.