Association of tenascin-R with murine brain myelin membranes: involvement of divalent cations.
In the central nervous system (CNS), tenascin-R (TN-R) is mainly expressed by oligodendrocytes and in white matter tracts. Here, we have examined the molecular association of TN-R with CNS myelin by incubation of myelin membranes (MM) purified from adult mouse brain under different ionic conditions. By Western blot analysis, the 160 kDa isoform was the main TN-R component detectable in MM as a dimer which became degraded to monomers of 160 kDa and major fragments of 125 and 80 kDa in the absence of protease inhibitors. In the presence of chelating agents, TN-R was completely extracted from MM. Calcium ions promoted the dissociation of TN-R while zinc or copper blocked it. TN-R release from MM was sensitive to heat suggesting the involvement of calcium-dependent myelin protease(s) in this process. In addition, 1,10-phenanthroline (a metalloprotease blocker) partially inhibited TN-R release in the presence of calcium ions. We conclude that divalent metal ions stabilize the association of TN-R with CNS myelin and upon damage, the protein can be released and degraded by endogenous proteases, suggesting the implication of myelin-derived TN-R in axon growth inhibition and demyelinating diseases.[1]References
- Association of tenascin-R with murine brain myelin membranes: involvement of divalent cations. Pesheva, P., Probstmeier, R. Neurosci. Lett. (2000) [Pubmed]
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