Indirect evidence suggests that endogenous
ciliary neurotrophic factor (
CNTF) receptor signaling can promote motor neuron (MN) survival in the adult. If so, proper targeting of this signaling may selectively counteract the effects of adult MN diseases. However, direct evidence for
CNTF receptor involvement in adult MN survival is lacking, presumably because the unconditional blockade of the mouse
CNTF receptor in vivo [through genetic disruption of the essential
CNTF receptor alpha (
CNTFRalpha) gene] leads to uniform
perinatal death of the mice. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a method to selectively disrupt
CNTF receptor function in a targeted subset of adult MNs that are not required for survival. A 'floxed
CNTFRalpha' mouse line was generated and characterized. In addition, an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector that drives
Cre recombinase (Cre) expression was constructed and shown, with reporter mouse lines, to selectively excise floxed genes in facial MNs following its stereotaxic injection into the facial motor nucleus. Adult floxed
CNTFRalpha mice were then injected with the AAV-Cre vector to excise the
CNTFRalpha gene in the targeted MNs. The resulting data indicate that adult
CNTF receptor signaling, likely by the MNs themselves, can play an essential role in MN survival. The data further indicate that this role is independent of any developmental contributions
CNTF receptor signaling makes to MN survival or function.