Nfasc155H and MAG are specifically susceptible to detergent extraction in the absence of the myelin sphingolipid sulfatide.

Mice incapable of synthesizing the myelin lipid sulfatide form paranodes that deteriorate with age. Similar instability also occurs in mice that lack contactin, contactin-associated protein or neurofascin155 (Nfasc155), the proteins that cluster in the paranode and form the junctional complex that mediates myelin-axon adhesion. In contrast to these proteins, sulfatide has not been shown to be enriched in the paranode nor has a sulfatide paranodal binding partner been identified; thus, it remains unclear how the absence of sulfatide results in compromised paranode integrity. Using an in situ extraction procedure, it has been reported that the absence of the myelin sphingolipids, galactocerebroside and sulfatide, increased the susceptibility of Nfasc155 to detergent extraction. Here, employing a similar approach, we demonstrate that in the presence of galactocerebroside but in the absence of sulfatide Nfasc155 is susceptible to detergent extraction. Furthermore, we use this in situ approach to show that stable association of myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) with the myelin membrane is sulfatide dependent while the membrane associations of myelin/oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, myelin basic protein and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase are sulfatide independent. These findings indicate that myelin proteins maintain their membrane associations by different mechanisms. Moreover, the myelin proteins that cluster in the paranode and require sulfatide mediate myelin-axon adhesion. Additionally, the apparent dependency on sulfatide for maintaining Nfasc155 and MAG associations is intriguing since the fatty acid composition of sulfatide is altered and paranodal ultrastructure is compromised in multiple sclerosis. Thus, our findings present a potential link between sulfatide perturbation and myelin deterioration in multiple sclerosis.

Purification of oligodendrocytes and their progenitors using immunomagnetic separation and Percoll gradient centrifugation.

In this unit, two techniques are described for the purification of oligodendrocytes and their progenitors from the developing mammalian central nervous system (CNS). The first method utilizes the technique of immunomagnetic separation to selectively isolate oligodendrocytes and their progenitor cells from the optic nerve of prenatal and early postnatal rats. This technique takes advantage of the surface antigens expressed on these cells. A paramagnetic bead is attached to the cells via an antibody bridge. Target cells that are coupled to magnetic beads can then be separated from a heterogeneous cell population using a magnetic field. The second method for isolating oligodendrocytes uses Percoll gradient centrifugation to separate oligodendrocytes from a heterogeneous cell population by virtue of their cell density and allows the direct isolation of oligodendrocytes from animals aged postnatal day 4 (P-4) to adult. This method is particularly useful for assessing physiological systems present in development that may be lost as a result of growing purified neonatal cells in vitro in the absence of neuronal influence.

Phosphorylation of nuclear proteins in myelinating oligodendrocytes and its control by cyclic AMP.

Oligodendroglial nuclei isolated from rat brains at different stages of myelinogenesis (10, 18, and 30 days of age) were incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP and extracted with 0.75 M perchloric acid to yield a fraction of nonacidic chromatin proteins. The protein extracts were then analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The phosphorylation pattern of these proteins was found to be different for different age groups. In 10-day-old rat oligodendrocytes the most extensive phosphorylation occurred in low molecular mass species (less than 30 kDa), in contrast to fractions obtained from 18- and 30-day-old rat oligodendrocytes which showed a significantly higher labeling of the proteins with molecular masses greater than 30 kDa. The phosphorylation of the latter species was greatly stimulated by the presence of cyclic AMP in the incubation media. The results suggest that the phosphorylation of specific nuclear proteins, which may play a regulatory role at different stages of oligodendroglial maturation and myelinogenesis, may be at least partially modulated by intracellular cyclic AMP.

Treatment of oligodendrocytes with antisense deoxyoligonucleotide directed against CREB mRNA: effect on the cyclic AMP-dependent induction of myelin basic protein expression.

We have shown previously that in oligodendrocytes, the transcription factor cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) is maximally expressed immediately prior to the most rapid period of myelination in rat brain. We have begun to investigate the role of this protein during myelination by downregulating CREB synthesis in cultured oligodendrocytes using an antisense deoxyoligonucleotide directed against CREB mRNA. Neonatal oligodendrocytes were grown for 4 days in a chemically defined medium (CDM) after which intracellular delivery of CREB antisense oligonucleotide was facilitated by using a liposome preparation. Control cultures were treated in a similar manner but in the presence of CREB sense oligomer. Immediately after transfection, cells were cultured for 3 days in CDM in the presence or absence of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) analogue N6, O21-dibutyryl cAMP (db-cAMP). In these cultures, myelin basic protein (MBP) expression was investigated by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. Treatment of control cultures with db-cAMP resulted in a significant increase in the number of MBP positive cells which was abolished when the cells were treated with CREB antisense oligonucleotide. MBP positive cells in control cultures treated with db-cAMP have extended and highly branched MBP positive processes. In contrast, MBP positive cells in either control cultures grown in the absence of db-cAMP or cultures grown in the presence of db-cAMP but treated with CREB antisense oligonucleotide showed shorter and less complex processes and the MBP immunoreactivity appeared to be concentrated in the cell body. These observations suggest that CREB is at least one of the mediators in the induction of oligodendrocyte differentiation by cAMP.

Presence of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein in oligodendrocytes.

Several lines of evidence indicate that cyclic AMP (cAMP) induces oligodendrocytes differentiation. However, the mechanism(s) of this stimulation remains unknown. Because in several cell types the transcriptional activity of various cAMP-responsive genes is regulated through a cis-acting DNA sequence known as cAMP response element (CRE), we investigated the possible presence of a CRE binding (CREB) protein in myelinating oligodendrocytes. A double-stranded oligonucleotide containing a tandem repeat of the CRE sequence was labeled with T4 kinase in the presence of [32P]ATP and then incubated with a nuclear protein extract from 14-day-old rat brain oligodendrocytes. The reaction mixture was then electrophoresed on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. The results indicated the presence of a protein that specifically binds to the CRE sequence. The results were supported by southwestern blotting assays in which the CRE probe bound to a approximately 45-kDa protein species. In separate experiments, it was shown that the 45-kDa protein can be phosphorylated in vitro by the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A. Developmental analysis of CREB protein expression indicated a peak at 14 days of age, preceding the peak of myelinogenesis.

Effect of cyclic AMP on the expression of myelin basic protein species and myelin proteolipid protein in committed oligodendrocytes: differential involvement of the transcription factor CREB.

Our previous results support the idea that CREB (cyclic AMP-response element binding protein) may be a mediator of neuroligand and growth factor signals that, coupled to different signal transduction pathways, play different roles at specific stages of oligodendrocyte development. In the early stages, when cells are immature precursors, CREB may play a role as a mediator of protein kinase C (PKC)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways regulating cell proliferation. In contrast, at a later stage, when cells are already committed oligodendrocytes, CREB seems to play an important role as a mediator in the stimulation of myelin basic protein (MBP) expression by cyclic AMP (cAMP). In this study, we have investigated whether cAMP and CREB play a role in regulating the expression of all or on the other hand particular MBP isoforms. The results indicated that treatment of committed oligodendrocytes with the cAMP analogue db-cAMP results in a pattern of expression of MBP-related polypeptides that most closely resembles the pattern of MBPs observed in cerebra from adult animals. Experiments in which CREB expression was inhibited using a CREB antisense oligonucleotide, suggested that CREB is involved in the cAMP-dependent stimulation of all the MBP isoforms. In contrast, we have found that db-cAMP stimulates the expression of myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) in a process that occurs despite inhibition of CREB expression. These results support the idea that cAMP stimulates the maturation of oligodendrocytes and stress the fact multiple mechanisms may convey the action of this second messenger modulating oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination.

Possible role of CREB in the stimulation of oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation by neurotrophin-3.

We have previously shown that the transcription factor CREB (cyclic AMP-response element binding protein) could be a mediator of neuronal signals that, coupled to different signal transduction pathways, may play different regulatory roles at specific stages of oligodendrocyte (OLG) development. We have found before that in committed OLGs, CREB activation by phosphorylation can be triggered by beta-adrenergic stimulation and appears to play a role in the induction of OLG differentiation by cyclic AMP. In contrast, in OLG precursor cells, CREB phosphorylation is stimulated by neuroligands that increase calcium levels by a process that involves a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/protein kinase C (PKC) pathway. This observation suggested that at this early developmental stage, CREB could play a role in regulating cell proliferation. In support of this hypothesis, we have now found that a rapid and dramatic stimulation of CREB phosphorylation is one of the earliest events that precedes the increase in cell proliferation that is observed when OLG precursors are treated with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). Experiments in which CREB phosphorylation was investigated in the presence of different kinase inhibitors indicated that the activation of this transcription factor in the presence of NT-3 is mediated by the concerted action of MAPK- and PKC-dependent signal transduction pathways. Moreover, our present results also showed that down-regulation of CREB expression in the OLG precursors abolished the increase in DNA synthesis that is observed when the cultures are treated with NT-3. Thus, these results support the idea that in immature OLG precursors, CREB plays an important role in transducing signals which, like NT-3, may regulate cell proliferation.

Oligodendroglial cyclic AMP response element-binding protein: a member of the CREB family of transcription factors.

Several laboratories have shown that cyclic AMP (cAMP) plays an important role in inducing oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelin synthesis. Our previous results have shown that oligodendrocytes contain a nuclear protein that binds to the DNA sequence TGACGTCA or cAMP response element (CRE) known to be involved in the transcriptional regulation of cAMP-responsive genes. In this report the oligodendroglial CRE-binding protein was further identified by using two different antibodies which specifically recognize the CRE-binding protein known as CREB. In DNA-shift assays CREB-1(X-12) antibody interacted with the CRE-protein complexes resulting in further retardation ("super shift") of the mobility of the bands in the gels. Immunoprecipitation of oligodendroglial nuclear extracts with CREB(240) antibody prior to the DNA binding assays resulted in a lack of formation of CRE-protein complexes. In addition immunoreaction with CREB(240) antibody identified the CRE-binding species as a 45 kDa phosphoprotein. Immunocytochemical staining with CREB(240) antibody in oligodendrocytes from 10-, 14-, and 18-day-old and adult rats indicated that this protein is expressed before the appearance of myelin basic protein (MBP) which was used as a marker of myelin synthesis. Collectively, these observations support our previous results and indicate that the oligodendroglial CRE-binding protein species is highly homologous to the CREB protein. The developmental expression of this CREB protein supports the idea of a possible role during the early stages of oligodendrocyte differentiation preceding the peak of myelin synthesis in rat CNS.

Neuraminidase activities in oligodendroglial cells of the rat brain.

Neuraminidase activities in oligodendroglial cells were characterized using rats of different ages. Rat oligodendroglial cells had intrinsic neuraminidase activities directed toward GM3 and N-acetylneuramin(2-3)lactitol (NL). Developmental profiles of the neuraminidase activities toward the two substrates in oligodendroglial cells were different from each other. The neuraminidase activity toward GM3 increased rapidly with the onset of active myelination and, after 26 days of development, reached the adult level which was about 18 times higher than that in myelin. At the adult age, oligodendroglial cells had the highest neuraminidase activity toward GM3 among the individual brain cell types examined. The activity of NL-neuraminidase showed a less remarkable developmental profile, with a peak value at 26 days. The UDP-galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase activity in oligodendroglial cells increased during the period of active myelination and, afterward, returned to the basal level. The enrichment and unique developmental profile in oligodendroglial cells of the neuraminidase activity toward GM3 suggest that this enzyme may play an important role in the formation and maintenance of the myelin sheath.

Different neuroligands and signal transduction pathways stimulate CREB phosphorylation at specific developmental stages along oligodendrocyte differentiation.

We have shown previously that the pattern of expression of the transcription factor CREB (cyclic AMP-response element binding protein) in developing oligodendrocytes (OLGs) suggests a role during a period that precedes the peak of myelination in rat brain. We have now investigated the signaling pathways that could be responsible for activating CREB by phosphorylation at different stages along OLG maturation. CREB phosphorylation was studied in short-term cultures of immature OLG precursor cells and young OLGs isolated from 4- and 11-day-old rat cerebrum, respectively. The results indicated that at both developmental stages, CREB phosphorylation could be stimulated by either increased concentrations of cyclic AMP and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activation or increased Ca2+ levels and a protein kinase C activity. The results also showed that CREB phosphorylation in immature OLG precursor cells could be up-regulated by treatment with histamine, carbachol, glutamate, and ATP (neuroligands known to increase Ca2+ levels in these cells), by signaling cascade(s) that involve a protein kinase C activity, as well as the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. In contrast, in cells isolated from 11-day-old rats, at a developmental stage that immediately precedes the beginning of the active period of myelin synthesis, CREB phosphorylation was only stimulated by treatment with the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol in a process that appears to be mediated by a cyclic AMP/cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase-dependent pathway. These results support the idea that CREB could be a mediator of neuronal signals that, coupled to specific signal transduction cascades, may play different regulatory roles at specific stages along OLG differentiation.

Schwann cells stimulated by axolemma-enriched fractions express cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein.

Both axolemma-enriched fractions (AEF) and cyclic AMP have been shown to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of cultured primary Schwann cells (SC). We have evaluated the role of CREB, a transcription factor that binds to the cAMP-responsive element, in mediating the AEF-stimulated SC proliferation and differentiation. We detected CREB in nuclear extracts derived from SC stimulated with 40 micrograms/ml of AEF for 16, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hr, using a DNA-electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Unstimulated quiescent SC contained low levels of CREB which increased to a maximal level after 48 hr of AEF treatment. Using anti-CREB antibodies and Western blot analysis, after 24 hr of AEF treatment we first detected CREB as a 45 kDa protein which reached a maximal level of expression after 72 hr. Double labeled immunocytochemistry using anti-CREB and anti-5-bromo-2'-deoxy-uridine antibodies demonstrated maximal CREB expression after 72 hr of AEF treatment, closely coinciding with the temporal expression of SC proliferation. At all times examined, all AEF-treated SC labeled by anti-CREB antibodies were also labeled with anti-BrdU antibodies. These observations are consistent with the view that CREB could play an important role in the induction of SC proliferation by AEF.