Specific disruption of a schwann cell dystrophin-related protein complex in a demyelinating neuropathy.

Dystroglycan-dystrophin complexes are believed to have structural and signaling functions by linking extracellular matrix proteins to the cytoskeleton and cortical signaling molecules. Here we characterize a dystroglycan-dystrophin-related protein 2 (DRP2) complex at the surface of myelin-forming Schwann cells. The complex is clustered by the interaction of DRP2 with L-periaxin, a homodimeric PDZ domain-containing protein. In the absence of L-periaxin, DRP2 is mislocalized and depleted, although other dystrophin family proteins are unaffected. Disruption of the DRP2-dystroglycan complex is followed by hypermyelination and destabilization of the Schwann cell-axon unit in Prx(-/-) mice. Hence, the DRP2-dystroglycan complex likely has a distinct function in the terminal stages of PNS myelinogenesis, possibly in the regulation of myelin thickness.     

Schwann cells of the myelin-forming phenotype express neurofilament protein NF-M

Immature Schwann cells of the rat sciatic nerve can differentiate into myelin-forming or non-myelin-forming cells. The factors that influence this divergent development are unknown but certain markers such as galactocerebroside distinguish the two cell populations at an early stage of Schwann cell differentiation. Because myelination requires extensive changes in cell morphology, we have investigated the composition and structure of the Schwann cell cytoskeleton at a time when these cells become committed to myelination. Here we show that Schwann cells express a cytoskeletal protein of M(r) 145 before diverging into the myelin-forming path, i.e., before they acquire cell-surface galactocerobroside. The p145 protein has the characteristics of an intermediate filament (IF) protein and immunoelectron microscopy shows that it colocalizes with vimentin, which suggests that these two proteins can coassemble into IFs. Elevated intracellular cAMP levels, which can mimic some of the early effects of axons on Schwann cell differentiation, induced p145 synthesis, therefore, we conclude that myelin-forming Schwann cells express this protein at a very early stage in their development. Immunological comparisons with other IF proteins revealed a close similarity between p145 and the neurofilament protein NF-M; the identification of p145 as NF-M was confirmed by isolating and sequencing a full-length clone from a Schwann cell cDNA library. These data demonstrate that Schwann cells remodel their IFs by expressing NF-M before acquiring the myelin-forming phenotype and that IF proteins of the neurofilament-type are not restricted to neurons in the vertebrate nervous system.     

FAK is required for axonal sorting by Schwann cells

Signaling by laminins and axonal neuregulin has been implicated in regulating axon sorting by myelin-forming Schwann cells. However, the signal transduction mechanisms are unknown. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has been linked to alpha6beta1 integrin and ErbB receptor signaling, and we show that myelination by Schwann cells lacking FAK is severely impaired. Mutant Schwann cells could interdigitate between axon bundles, indicating that FAK signaling was not required for process extension. However, Schwann cell FAK was required to stimulate cell proliferation, suggesting that amyelination was caused by insufficient Schwann cells. ErbB2 receptor and AKT were robustly phosphorylated in mutant Schwann cells, indicating that neuregulin signaling from axons was unimpaired. These findings demonstrate the vital relationship between axon defasciculation and Schwann cell number and show the importance of FAK in regulating cell proliferation in the developing nervous system.     

荧光双分子互补分析Ezrin与L-periaxin的互作模式

腓骨肌萎缩症4F亚型是Periaxin基因的突变所导致一种脱髓鞘型遗传病. Periaxin蛋白是外周神经系统中特异且大量表达的蛋白,在髓鞘成熟与维护中发挥重要作用.而Ezrin是一种膜骨架连接蛋白,在细胞形态的维持、运动、黏附等方面发挥重要作用.在前期已证实L-periaxin与Ezrin间存在蛋白互作的基础上,本文通过分子荧光互补实验,结合免疫荧光定位实验、免疫共沉淀等技术,进一步分析并揭示了L-periaxin蛋白与Ezrin蛋白之间的互作方式,具体为L-periaxin(1 200 aa)与Ezrin(1 296 aa)以及L-periaxin (1 060～1 461 aa)与Ezrin(475～585 aa)以“头对头”与“尾对尾”的方式发生相互作用.Ezrin可能是一种引导L-periaxin在施万细胞膜上堆积的新的分子配体,二者可能通过蛋白分子间更加紧密的方式完成在细胞膜处的堆积,参与到髓鞘的维护中.     

GAP-43 is expressed by nonmyelin-forming Schwann cells of the peripheral nervous system.

Recently it has been demonstrated that the growth-associated protein GAP-43 is not confined to neurons but is also expressed by certain central nervous system glial cells in tissue culture and in vivo. This study has extended these observations to the major class of glial cells in the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells. Using immunohistochemical techniques, we show that GAP-43 immunoreactivity is present in Schwann cell precursors and in mature non-myelin-forming Schwann cells both in vitro and in vivo. This immunoreactivity is shown by Western blotting to be a membrane-associated protein that comigrates with purified central nervous system GAP-43. Furthermore, metabolic labeling experiments demonstrate definitively that Schwann cells in culture can synthesize GAP-43. Mature myelin-forming Schwann cells do not express GAP-43 but when Schwann cells are removed from axonal contact in vivo by nerve transection GAP-43 expression is upregulated in nearly all Schwann cells of the distal stump by 4 wk after denervation. In contrast, in cultured Schwann cells GAP-43 is not rapidly upregulated in cells that have been making myelin in vivo. Thus the regulation of GAP-43 appears to be complex and different from that of other proteins associated with nonmyelin-forming Schwann cells such as N-CAM, glial fibrillary acidic protein, A5E3, and nerve growth factor receptor, which are rapidly upregulated in myelin-forming cells after loss of axonal contact. These observations suggest that GAP-43 may play a more general role in the nervous system than previously supposed.     

Ezrin interacts with L-periaxin by the “head to head and tail to tail” mode and influences the location of L-periaxin in Schwann cell RSC96

In the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Schwann cells (SCs) are required for the myelination of axons. Periaxin (PRX), one of the myelination proteins expressed in SCs, is critical for the normal development and maintenance of PNS. As a member of the ERM (ezrin-radxin-moesin) protein family, ezrin holds our attention since their link to the formation of the nodes of Ranvier. Furthermore, PRX and ezrin are co-expressed in cytoskeletal complexes with periplakin and desmoyokin in lens fiber cells. In the present study, we observed that L-periaxin and ezrin interacted in a “head to head and tail to tail” mode in SC RSC96 through NLS3 region of L-periaxin with F3 subdomain of ezrin interaction, and the region of L-periaxin (residues 1368–1461) with ezrin (residues 475–557) interaction. A phosphorylation-mimicking mutation of ezrin resulted in L-periaxin accumulation on SC RSC96 membrane. Ezrin could inhibit the self-association of L-periaxin, and ezrin overexpression in sciatic nerve injury rats could facilitate the repair of impaired myelin sheath. Therefore, the interaction between L-periaxin and ezrin may adopt a close form to complete protein accumulation and to participate in myelin sheath maintenance.     

Immunoreactive myelin basic proteins are not detected when shiverer mutant Schwann cells and fibroblasts are co-cultured with normal neurons

Shiverer (shi) is an autosomal recessive mutation in mice that results in hypomyelination in the central nervous system (CNS) but normal myelination in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Myelin basic proteins (MBPs) are virtually absent in both PNS and CNS. It is not known whether the cellular target in the PNS is the myelin-forming Schwann cell or another cell type which secondarily affects the Schwann cell. To determine the cellular target of the shi gene, we have adapted tissue culture techniques that allow co-culture of pure populations of mouse sensory neurons of one genotype with Schwann cells and fibroblasts of another genotype under conditions that permit myelin formation. These cultures were stained immunocytochemically as whole mounts to determine whether MBPs were expressed under various in vitro conditions. In single-genotype cultures, presence or absence of MBPs was consistent with earlier in vivo results: +/+ cultures were MBP-positive and shi/shi cultures were MBP-negative. In mixed-genotype cultures, visualization of MBPs in myelin accorded with the genotype of the non-neuronal Schwann cells and fibroblasts and not with the neurons--those cultures that contained +/+ non-neuronal cells were MBP-positive and those with shi/shi non-neuronal cells were MBP-negative, independent of the neuronal genotype. These results rule out neurons or circulating substances as mediators of the influence of the shi genetic locus on MBP synthesis and deposition in peripheral myelin.     

Studies of adhesion molecules mediating interactions between cells of peripheral nervous system indicate a major role for L1 in mediating sensory neuron growth on Schwann cells in culture

The involvement of the adhesion molecules L1, N-CAM, and J1 in adhesion and neurite outgrowth in the peripheral nervous system was investigated. We prepared Schwann cells and fibroblasts (from sciatic nerves) and neurons (from dorsal root ganglia) from 1-d mice. These cells were allowed to interact with each other in a short-term adhesion assay. We also measured outgrowth of dorsal root ganglion neurons on Schwann cell and fibroblast monolayers. Schwann cells (which express L1, N-CAM, and J1) adhered most strongly to dorsal root ganglion neurons by an L1-dependent mechanism and less by N-CAM and J1. Schwann cell-Schwann cell adhesion was mediated by L1 and N-CAM, but not J1. Adhesion of fibroblasts (which express N-CAM, but not L1 or J1) to neurons or Schwann cells was mediated by L1 and N-CAM and not J1. However, inhibition by L1 and N-CAM antibodies was found to be less pronounced with fibroblasts than with Schwann cells. N-CAM was also strongly involved in fibroblast-fibroblast adhesion. Neurite outgrowth was most extensive on Schwann cells and less on fibroblasts. A difference in extent of neurite elongation was seen between small- (10-20 microns) and large- (20-35 microns) diameter neurons, with the larger neurons tending to exhibit longer neurites. Fab fragments of polyclonal L1, N-CAM, and J1 antibodies exerted slightly different inhibitory effects on neurite outgrowth, depending on whether the neurites were derived from small or large neurons. L1 antibodies interfered most strikingly with neurite outgrowth on Schwann cells (inhibition of 88% for small and 76% for large neurons), while no inhibition was detectable on fibroblasts. Similarly, although to a smaller extent than L1, N-CAM appeared to be involved in neurite outgrowth on Schwann cells and not on fibroblasts. Antibodies to J1 only showed a very small effect on neurite outgrowth of large neurons on Schwann cells. These observations show for the first time that identified adhesion molecules are potent mediators of glia-dependent neurite formation and attribute to L1 a predominant role in neurite outgrowth on Schwann cells which may be instrumental in regeneration.     

Three markers of adult non-myelin-forming Schwann cells, 217c(Ran-1), A5E3 and GFAP: development and regulation by neuron-Schwann cell interactions

Immunohistochemical methods are used to investigate in detail the development and regulation of three proteins (217c(Ran-1), A5E3 and GFAP) specifically associated with adult non-myelin-forming Schwann cells in the rat sciatic nerve, from embryo day 15 to maturity. 217c(Ran-1), which is probably the NGF-receptor, and A5E3 are expressed by the majority of cells in the nerve at embryo day 15 and by essentially all cells at embryo day 18. GFAP first appears at embryo day 18; this is an intrinsically programmed developmental event which occurs in cultured Schwann cells even in the absence of serum. Postnatally, the expression of 217c(Ran-1), A5E3 and GFAP is suppressed in cells that form myelin but retained in non-myelin-forming Schwann cells. Mature myelin-forming cells nevertheless maintain the potential to express all three proteins but will only do so if removed from contact with myelinated axons. In neuron-free cultures Schwann cells express all three proteins. This work, together with our previous observations on N-CAM, shows that removal of a diverse set of surface proteins and a change in intermediate filament expression is one of the major consequences of axon to Schwann cell signalling during myelination in the rat sciatic nerve. Unlike myelin-forming cells, adult non-myelin-forming Schwann cells remain very similar to embryonic and newborn cells with respect to expression of surface proteins, in contrast to the previously established developmental changes that occur in their surface lipids.     

A neuronal cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan is required for dorsal root ganglion neuron stimulation of Schwann cell proliferation

Axons of dorsal root ganglion neurons express on their surfaces one or more proteins which are mitogenic for Schwann cells (Salzer, J., R. P. Bunge, and L. Glaser, 1980, J. Cell Biol., 84:767-778). Incubation of co-cultures of dorsal root ganglion neurons and Schwann cells with 4- methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-xyloside, an inhibitor of proteoglycan biosynthesis, decreases the mitogenic response of the Schwann cell by over 95%. The effect of the beta-D-xyloside has been localized to the neurons; pretreatment of neurons but not of Schwann cells with the inhibitor causes a marked reduction of the mitogenic response. In addition, Schwann cells treated with beta-D-xyloside are still mitogenically responsive to soluble Schwann cell mitogens (cholera toxin and glial growth factor). Neurons treated with heparitinase and membrane vesicles prepared from heparitinase-treated neurons show diminished mitogenicity for Schwann cells, while other proteoglycan lyases have no effect. We conclude that a cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan is a component of the Schwann cell mitogen present on the surface of dorsal root ganglion neurons.     

Novel E-cadherin-mediated adhesion in peripheral nerve: Schwann cell architecture is stabilized by autotypic adherens junctions [published erratum appears in J Cell Biol 1995 Jun;129(6):1721]

Previous studies (Blank, W. F., M. B. Bunge, and R. P. Bunge. 1974. Brain Res. 67:503-518) showed that Schwann cell paranodal membranes were disrupted in calcium free medium suggesting that cadherin mediated mechanisms may operate to maintain the integrity of the paranodal membrane complex. Using antibodies against the fifth extracellular domain of E-cadherin, we now show by confocal laser and electron immunomicroscopy that E-cadherin is a major adhesive glycoprotein in peripheral nervous system Schwann cells. E-Cadherin is not found, however, in compact myelin bilayers. Rather, it is concentrated at the paranodes, in Schmidt-Lanterman incisures, and at the inner and outer loops. At these loci, E-cadherin is associated with subplasmalemmal electron densities that coordinate in register across several cytoplasmic turns of a single Schwann cell. F-Actin and beta-catenin, two proteins implicated in cellular signaling, also co-localize to E- cadherin positive sites. These complexes are autotypic adherens-type junctions that are confined to the plasma membrane synthesized by a single Schwann cell; E-cadherin was never observed between two Schwann cells, nor between Schwann cells and the axon. Our findings demonstrate that E-cadherin and its associated proteins are essential components in the architecture of the Schwann cell cytoplasmic channel network, and suggest that this network has specialized functions in addition to those required for myelinogenesis.     

erbb3 and erbb2 are essential for schwann cell migration and myelination in zebrafish

BACKGROUND: Myelin is critical for efficient axonal conduction in the vertebrate nervous system. Neuregulin (Nrg) ligands and their ErbB receptors are required for the development of Schwann cells, the glial cells that form myelin in the peripheral nervous system. Previous studies have not determined whether Nrg-ErbB signaling is essential in vivo for Schwann cell fate specification, proliferation, survival, migration, or the onset of myelination. RESULTS: In genetic screens for mutants with disruptions in myelinated nerves, we identified mutations in erbb3 and erbb2, which together encode a heteromeric tyrosine kinase receptor for Neuregulin ligands. Phenotypic analysis shows that both genes are essential for development of Schwann cells. BrdU-incorporation studies and time-lapse analysis reveal that Schwann cell proliferation and migration, but not survival, are disrupted in erbb3 mutants. We show that Schwann cells can migrate in the absence of DNA replication. This uncoupling of proliferation and migration indicates that erbb gene function is required independently for these two processes. Pharmacological inhibition of ErbB signaling at different stages reveals a continuing requirement for ErbB function during migration and also provides evidence that ErbB signaling is required after migration for proliferation and the terminal differentiation of myelinating Schwann cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide in vivo evidence that Neuregulin-ErbB signaling is essential for directed Schwann cell migration and demonstrate that this pathway is also required for the onset of myelination in postmigratory Schwann cells.     

Galactocerebroside is expressed by non-myelin-forming Schwann cells in situ

Interest in the glycosphingolipid galactocerebroside (GC) is based on the consensus that in the nervous system it is expressed only by myelin-forming Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes, and that it has a specific role in the elaboration of myelin sheaths. We have investigated GC distribution in two rat nerves--the sciatic, containing a mixture of myelinated and non-myelinated axons, and the cervical sympathetic trunk, in which greater than 99% of axons are non-myelinated. Immunohistochemical experiments using mono- and polyclonal GC antibodies were carried out on teased nerves and cultured Schwann cells, and GC synthesis was assayed biochemically. Unexpectedly, we found that mature non-myelin-forming Schwann cells in situ and in short-term cultures express unambiguous GC immunoreactivity, comparable in intensity to that of myelinated fibers or myelin-forming cells in short-term cultures. GC synthesis was also detected in both sympathetic trunks and sciatic nerves. In the developing sympathetic trunk, GC was first seen at day 19 in utero, the number of GC-positive cells rising to approximately 95% at postnatal day 10. In contrast, the time course of GC appearance in the sciatic nerve shows two separate phases of increase, between day 18 in utero and postnatal day 1, and between postnatal days 20 and 35, at which stage approximately 94% of the cells express GC. These time courses suggest that Schwann cells, irrespective of subsequent differentiation pathway, start expressing GC at about the same time as cell division stops. We suggest that GC is a ubiquitous component of mature Schwann cell membranes in situ. Therefore, the role of GC needs to be reevaluated, since its function is clearly not restricted to events involved in myelination.     

Characterization of a novel peripheral nervous system myelin protein (PMP-22/SR13)

We have recently described a novel cDNA, SR13 (Welcher, A. A., U. Suter, M. De Leon, G. J. Snipes, and E. M. Shooter. 1991. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 88:7195-7199), that is repressed after sciatic nerve crush injury and shows homology to both the growth arrest-specific mRNA, gas3 (Manfioletti, G., M. E. Ruaro, G. Del Sal, L. Philipson, and C. Schneider, 1990. Mol. Cell Biol. 10:2924-2930), and to the myelin protein, PASII (Kitamura, K., M. Suzuki, and K. Uyemura. 1976. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 455:806-816). In this report, we show that the 22-kD SR13 protein is expressed in the compact portion of essentially all myelinated fibers in the peripheral nervous system. Although SR13 mRNA was found in the central nervous system, no corresponding SR13 protein could be detected by either immunoblot analysis or by immunohistochemistry. Northern and immunoblot analysis of SR13 mRNA and protein expression during development of the peripheral nervous system reveal a pattern similar to other myelin proteins. Furthermore, we demonstrate by in situ mRNA hybridization on tissue sections and on individual nerve fibers that SR13 mRNA is produced predominantly by Schwann cells. We conclude that the SR13 protein is apparently exclusively expressed in the peripheral nervous system where it is a major component of myelin. Thus, we propose the name Peripheral Myelin Protein-22 (PMP-22) for the proteins and cDNA previously designated PASII, SR13, and gas3.     

Expression of P30, a protein with adhesive properties, in Schwann cells and neurons of the developing and regenerating peripheral nerve

P30 is a heparin-binding protein with adhesive and neurite outgrowth-promoting properties present at high levels in the developing rat central nervous system (Rauvala, H., and R. Pihlaskari. 1987 J. Biol. Chem. 262:16625-16635). Partial sequencing of p30 has revealed homology or identity with HMG-1 (Rauvala, H., J. Merenmies, R. Pihlaskari, M. Korkolainen, M.-L. Huhtala, and P. Panula. 1988. J. Cell Biol. 107:2292-2305), a 28-kD protein that was originally purified from the thymus (Goodwin, G.H., C. Sanders, and E. W. Johns. 1973. Eur. J. Biochem. 38:14-19) which binds DNA in vitro. We have analyzed the distribution of p30 in the developing rat peripheral nervous system (PNS). P30 was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis using antibodies raised against intact p30 and against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the amino terminus of the p30 molecule. P30 was localized to nonnuclear compartments of neurons and peripheral glial cells (Schwann cells). P30 immunoreactivity of PNS neurons persisted into adulthood. In contrast, Schwann cell staining decreased after the second postnatal week and was not detectable in adult animals. Neuron-Schwann cell contact was correlated with diminished p30 levels in Schwann cells. Schwann cells of the normal adult sciatic nerve did not express p30; however, when deprived of axonal contact by nerve transection, the Schwann cells of the distal nerve stained intensely for p30. In addition, when Schwann cells and dorsal root ganglion neurons were grown in coculture, Schwann cells that were associated with neurites were not as intensely stained by anti-p30 as Schwann cells that were not in contact with neurons. The pattern of p30 expression during development and regeneration, and its apparent regulation by cell-cell contact suggests that p30 plays a role in the interaction between neurons and Schwann cells during morphogenesis of peripheral nerves.     

Mechanisms of glial development

Glial cells comprise most of the non-neuronal cells of the brain and peripheral nervous system, and include the myelin-forming oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, radial glia and astrocytes. Their functions are diverse and include almost every aspect of nervous system function, from the birth and death of cells to the migrations and cell-cell interactions that connect and integrate the working elements of the nervous system. Recent studies have provided exciting insights into the mechanisms that drive the conversion into a glial cell and the developmental signals that guide the behavior of these multifunctional cells. An emerging theme is the so-called glial lineage being more diverse and more plastic than was previously thought. Here, we highlight some recent insights into glial development.     

SCIP: a glial POU domain gene regulated by cyclic AMP

We have isolated cDNA clones encoding SCIP, a POU domain gene expressed by myelin-forming glial of the central and peripheral nervous systems. In purified Schwann cells cultured in the absence of neurons, expression of SCIP is suppressed. This suppression is relieved by cAMP, and induction of SCIP mRNA by this second messenger precedes cAMP induction of myelin-specific genes. Similarly, SCIP expression in vivo precedes full expression of myelin-specific genes in developing oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. The sequence of the SCIP POU domain is identical to that of Tst-1, a recently identified member of a family of POU domain genes expressed by restricted subsets of neurons. Our results demonstrate that SCIP is also expressed by myelin-forming glia and suggest that it plays a central role in the progressive determination of these cells and their commitment to myelination.     

A role for myelin-associated peroxisomes in maintaining paranodal loops and axonal integrity

Demyelinating diseases of the nervous system cause axon loss but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here we show by confocal and electron microscopy that in myelin-forming glia peroxisomes are associated with myelin membranes. When peroxisome biogenesis is experimentally perturbed in Pex5 conditional mouse mutants, myelination by Schwann cells appears initially normal. However, in nerves of older mice paranodal loops become physically unstable and develop swellings filled with vesicles and electron-dense material. This novel model of a demyelinating neuropathy demonstrates that peroxisomes serve an important function in the peripheral myelin compartment, required for long-term axonal integrity.     

A proteomic screen reveals novel Fas ligand interacting proteins within nervous system Schwann cells

Fas ligand (FasL) binds Fas (CD95) to induce apoptosis or activate other signaling pathways. In addition, FasL transduces bidirectional or 'reverse signals'. The intracellular domain of FasL contains consensus sequences for phosphorylation and an extended proline rich region, which regulate its surface expression through undetermined mechanism(s). Here, we used a proteomics approach to identify novel FasL interacting proteins in Schwann cells to investigate signaling through and trafficking of this protein in the nervous system. We identified two novel FasL interacting proteins, sorting nexin 18 and adaptin beta, as well as two proteins previously identified as FasL interacting proteins in T cells, PACSIN2 and PACSIN3. These proteins are all associated with endocytosis and trafficking, highlighting the tight regulation of cell surface expression of FasL in the nervous system.