Abstract
Oligodendrocytes form an insulating multilamellar structure of compact myelin around axons, thereby allowing rapid propagation of action potentials. Despite the considerable clinical importance of myelination, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that enable oligodendrocytes to generate their specialized membrane wrapping. Here, we used microarray expression profiling of oligodendrocyte-ablated mutant mice to identify new glial molecules that are involved in CNS myelination. This effort resulted in the identification of Ermin, a novel cytoskeletal molecule that is exclusively expressed by oligodendrocytes. Ermin appears at a late stage during myelination, and in the mature nerves, it is localized to the outer cytoplasmic lip of the myelin sheath and the paranodal loops. In cultured oligodendrocytes, Ermin becomes visible in well differentiated MBP-positive cells, where it is concentrated at the tip of F-actin-rich processes (termed "Ermin spikes"). Ectopic expression of Ermin, but not of a mutant protein lacking its actin-binding domain, induced the formation of numerous cell protrusions and a pronounced change in cell morphology. Our results demonstrate that Ermin is a novel marker of myelinating oligodendroglia and suggest that it plays a role in cytoskeletal rearrangements during the late wrapping and/or compaction phases of myelinogenesis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 757-762 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Neuroscience |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 18 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Cell ablation
- Cytoarchitecture
- Cytoskeleton
- ERM proteins
- Myelin
- Oligodendrocytes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Ermin, a myelinating oligodendrocyte-specific protein that regulates cell morphology. / Brockschnieder, Damian; Sabanay, Helena; Riethmacher, Dieter; Peles, Elior.
In: Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 26, No. 3, 18.01.2006, p. 757-762.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Ermin, a myelinating oligodendrocyte-specific protein that regulates cell morphology
AU - Brockschnieder, Damian
AU - Sabanay, Helena
AU - Riethmacher, Dieter
AU - Peles, Elior
PY - 2006/1/18
Y1 - 2006/1/18
N2 - Oligodendrocytes form an insulating multilamellar structure of compact myelin around axons, thereby allowing rapid propagation of action potentials. Despite the considerable clinical importance of myelination, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that enable oligodendrocytes to generate their specialized membrane wrapping. Here, we used microarray expression profiling of oligodendrocyte-ablated mutant mice to identify new glial molecules that are involved in CNS myelination. This effort resulted in the identification of Ermin, a novel cytoskeletal molecule that is exclusively expressed by oligodendrocytes. Ermin appears at a late stage during myelination, and in the mature nerves, it is localized to the outer cytoplasmic lip of the myelin sheath and the paranodal loops. In cultured oligodendrocytes, Ermin becomes visible in well differentiated MBP-positive cells, where it is concentrated at the tip of F-actin-rich processes (termed "Ermin spikes"). Ectopic expression of Ermin, but not of a mutant protein lacking its actin-binding domain, induced the formation of numerous cell protrusions and a pronounced change in cell morphology. Our results demonstrate that Ermin is a novel marker of myelinating oligodendroglia and suggest that it plays a role in cytoskeletal rearrangements during the late wrapping and/or compaction phases of myelinogenesis.
AB - Oligodendrocytes form an insulating multilamellar structure of compact myelin around axons, thereby allowing rapid propagation of action potentials. Despite the considerable clinical importance of myelination, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that enable oligodendrocytes to generate their specialized membrane wrapping. Here, we used microarray expression profiling of oligodendrocyte-ablated mutant mice to identify new glial molecules that are involved in CNS myelination. This effort resulted in the identification of Ermin, a novel cytoskeletal molecule that is exclusively expressed by oligodendrocytes. Ermin appears at a late stage during myelination, and in the mature nerves, it is localized to the outer cytoplasmic lip of the myelin sheath and the paranodal loops. In cultured oligodendrocytes, Ermin becomes visible in well differentiated MBP-positive cells, where it is concentrated at the tip of F-actin-rich processes (termed "Ermin spikes"). Ectopic expression of Ermin, but not of a mutant protein lacking its actin-binding domain, induced the formation of numerous cell protrusions and a pronounced change in cell morphology. Our results demonstrate that Ermin is a novel marker of myelinating oligodendroglia and suggest that it plays a role in cytoskeletal rearrangements during the late wrapping and/or compaction phases of myelinogenesis.
KW - Cell ablation
KW - Cytoarchitecture
KW - Cytoskeleton
KW - ERM proteins
KW - Myelin
KW - Oligodendrocytes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=32544449281&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=32544449281&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4317-05.2006
DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4317-05.2006
M3 - Article
VL - 26
SP - 757
EP - 762
JO - Journal of Neuroscience
JF - Journal of Neuroscience
SN - 0270-6474
IS - 3
ER -