ABSTRACT
Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a member of the neutrotrophin family of proteins that plays a signi- cant role in the maintenance and survival of neuronal cells. Thus, it is somewhat incongruous that a protein designed to enhance survival is a component of snake venom, a specialized uid responsible for the immobilization and killing of prey. However, it is also evident that members of this family of proteins, in shaping the development of the nervous system, are capable of inducing apoptosis. In addition, the spectrum of effects of NGF on PC12 cells in culture may well point to different roles for snake venom NGF. Half a century has now passed since crude venom was rst shown to contain a substance that promoted ber outgrowth in spinal ganglia, subsequently identied as an NGF-like molecule and shown to be present in the major families of venomous snakes. In the interim, an important body of information has accumulated on the purication, characterization, and role of NGF in snake venom. Recent advances in gene technology and proteomics have further assisted our understanding of snake venom NGFs, and these advances are the primary focus of this review.
