Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1986 Feb 1;102(2):393–402. doi: 10.1083/jcb.102.2.393

Expression of specific sheath cell proteins during peripheral nerve growth and regeneration in mammals

PMCID: PMC2114086  PMID: 3944189

Abstract

Protein synthesis in the nerve sheath of injured as well as intact mature and developing sciatic nerves from rat and rabbit was investigated by incubating segments of nerve with [35S]methionine in vitro. The composition of labeled proteins under the different conditions of nerve growth was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and fluorography. The expression of six secreted proteins in rat sciatic nerve with the apparent molecular weights of 70,000 (70 kD), 54,000 (54 kD), 51,000 (51 kD), 39,000 (39 kD), 37,000 (37 kD), and 30,000 (30 kD) was of particular interest because of the correlation of their synthesis and secretion with aspects of nerve growth and regeneration. The synthesis of the 37-kD protein was significantly stimulated during both sciatic nerve development as well as regeneration but not in the intact mature nerve. The expression of this protein appears to be regulated by signal(s) from the axon but not the target. The 70-kD protein was exclusively synthesized in response to axotomy, thus confining its role to some aspect(s) of nerve repair. In contrast, the 54- and 51-kD proteins were expressed in the intact mature nerve sheath. Their synthesis and release was rapidly inhibited upon axotomy but returned to normal or higher levels towards the end of sciatic nerve regeneration, suggesting a role in the maintenance of the integrity of the mature (nongrowing) rat nerve. The 39- and 30-kD proteins were only transiently synthesized within the first week after axotomy. Two proteins with the apparent molecular masses of 70 and 37 kD were synthesized in denervated rabbit sciatic nerve. The similar molecular weights, net charges, and time-courses of induction suggest a homology between these proteins in rabbit and rat, indicating common molecular responses of peripheral nerve sheath cells to axon injury in both mammalian species.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.9 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abercrombie M., Johnson M. L. Quantitative histology of Wallerian degeneration: I. Nuclear population in rabbit sciatic nerve. J Anat. 1946 Jan;80(Pt 1):37–50. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benfey M., Aguayo A. J. Extensive elongation of axons from rat brain into peripheral nerve grafts. Nature. 1982 Mar 11;296(5853):150–152. doi: 10.1038/296150a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Benowitz L. I., Shashoua V. E., Yoon M. G. Specific changes in rapidly transported proteins during regeneration of the goldfish optic nerve. J Neurosci. 1981 Mar;1(3):300–307. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.01-03-00300.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Beuche W., Friede R. L. The role of non-resident cells in Wallerian degeneration. J Neurocytol. 1984 Oct;13(5):767–796. doi: 10.1007/BF01148493. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bisby M. A. Prolonged alteration in composition of fast transported protein in axons prevented from regenerating after injury. J Neurobiol. 1982 Jul;13(4):377–381. doi: 10.1002/neu.480130408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GUTH L. Regeneration in the mammalian peripheral nervous system. Physiol Rev. 1956 Oct;36(4):441–478. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1956.36.4.441. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Giulian D., Des Ruisseux H., Cowburn D. Biosynthesis and intra-axonal transport of proteins during neuronal regeneration. J Biol Chem. 1980 Jul 10;255(13):6494–6501. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lundborg G., Longo F. M., Varon S. Nerve regeneration model and trophic factors in vivo. Brain Res. 1982 Jan 28;232(1):157–161. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(82)90618-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Müller H. W., Gebicke-Härter P. J., Hangen D. H., Shooter E. M. A specific 37,000-dalton protein that accumulates in regenerating but not in nonregenerating mammalian nerves. Science. 1985 Apr 26;228(4698):499–501. doi: 10.1126/science.3983637. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. O'Farrell P. H. High resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins. J Biol Chem. 1975 May 25;250(10):4007–4021. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Olsson Y., Sjöstrand J. Origin of macrophages in Wallerian degereration of peripheral nerves demonstrated autoradiographically. Exp Neurol. 1969 Jan;23(1):102–112. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(69)90037-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Politis M. J., Pellegrino R. G., Oaklander A. L., Ritchie J. M. Reactive glial protein synthesis and early disappearance of saxitoxin binding in degenerating rat optic nerve. Brain Res. 1983 Aug 29;273(2):392–395. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(83)90870-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Politis M. J., Spencer P. S. A method to separate spatially the temporal sequence of axon-Schwann cell interaction during nerve regeneration. J Neurocytol. 1981 Apr;10(2):221–232. doi: 10.1007/BF01257968. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Richardson P. M., Ebendal T. Nerve growth activities in rat peripheral nerve. Brain Res. 1982 Aug 19;246(1):57–64. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(82)90141-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Richardson P. M., McGuinness U. M., Aguayo A. J. Axons from CNS neurons regenerate into PNS grafts. Nature. 1980 Mar 20;284(5753):264–265. doi: 10.1038/284264a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Skene J. H., Shooter E. M. Denervated sheath cells secrete a new protein after nerve injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jul;80(13):4169–4173. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.13.4169. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Skene J. H., Willard M. Axonally transported proteins associated with axon growth in rabbit central and peripheral nervous systems. J Cell Biol. 1981 Apr;89(1):96–103. doi: 10.1083/jcb.89.1.96. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Skene J. H., Willard M. Changes in axonally transported proteins during axon regeneration in toad retinal ganglion cells. J Cell Biol. 1981 Apr;89(1):86–95. doi: 10.1083/jcb.89.1.86. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Weinberg E. L., Raine C. S. Reinnervation of peripheral nerve segments implanted into the rat central nervous system. Brain Res. 1980 Sep 29;198(1):1–11. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(80)90339-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Weinberg E. L., Spencer P. S. Studies on the control of myelinogenesis. 3. Signalling of oligodendrocyte myelination by regenerating peripheral axons. Brain Res. 1979 Feb 23;162(2):273–279. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(79)90289-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Weinberg H. J., Spencer P. S. The fate of Schwann cells isolated from axonal contact. J Neurocytol. 1978 Oct;7(5):555–569. doi: 10.1007/BF01260889. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES