Transforming growth factors beta are multifunctional proteins and regulators of cell proliferation and differentiation. Transforming growth factor-beta s have the capacity to rescue adult neurons from ischemia- and glutamate-induced cell death and are prominent in the embryonic and adult brain including striatum and substantia nigra. In the present study we show that transforming growth factors-beta 1, -2, and -3 promote, in a dose-dependent fashion, in vitro survival of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive dopaminergic neurons isolated from the embryonic rat mesencephalon floor. The magnitude of the effect, which was half-maximal at a concentration of 20 pM, was identical for all three transforming growth factor-isoforms and matched that of fibroblast growth factor-2. Unlike fibroblast growth factor-2, however, transforming growth factor-beta s did not increase numbers of astroglial cells visualized by using antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein, and had no effect on cell proliferation monitored by incorporation of BrdUrd. Transforming growth factor-beta s were significantly more potent than fibroblast growth factor-2 in protecting dopaminergic neurons against N-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion toxicity. RT-PCR analysis indicated that the effect of transforming growth factor-beta s is not mediated by glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, which was not detectable in cultures at various time points. On the other hand transforming growth factor-beta 2 mRNA could be detected in freshly isolated and cultured mesencephalic cells, and its immunoreactivity has also been demonstrated in the embryonic day 14 mesencephalon floor. We conclude that transforming growth factor-beta has trophic and protective effects on developing dopaminergic neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)