scholarly journals Nf1-deficient mouse Schwann cells are angiogenic and invasive and can be induced to hyperproliferate: reversion of some phenotypes by an inhibitor of farnesyl protein transferase.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 862-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
H A Kim ◽  
B Ling ◽  
N Ratner
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type ◽  
Tumor Formation ◽  
Cell Hyperplasia ◽  
Farnesyl Transferase ◽  
Farnesyl Protein Transferase ◽  
Differentiation Marker ◽  
Mutant Cells

We have developed a potential model of Schwann cell tumor formation in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). We show that mouse Schwann cells heterozygous or null at Nf1 display angiogenic and invasive properties, mimicking the behavior of Schwann cells from human neurofibromas. Mutations at Nf1 are insufficient to promote Schwann cell hyperplasia. Here we show that Schwann cell hyperplasia can be induced by protein kinase A activation in mutant cells. Removal of serum from the culture medium also stimulates hyperplasia, but only in some mutant cells. After serum removal, clones of hyperproliferating Schwann cells lose contact with axons in vitro, develop growth factor-independent proliferation, and exhibit decreased expression of the cell differentiation marker P0 protein; hyperproliferating cells develop after a 1-week lag in Schwann cells heterozygous at Nf1. The experiments suggest that events subsequent to Nf1 mutations are required for development of Schwann cell hyperplasia. Finally, an anti-Ras farnesyl protein transferase inhibitor greatly diminished both clone formation and hyperproliferation of null mutant cells, but not invasion; farnesyl transferase inhibitors could be useful in treating benign manifestations of NF1.

scholarly journals Conditional biallelic Nf2 mutation in the mouse promotes manifestations of human neurofibromatosis type 2

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 1617-1630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Giovannini ◽  
Els Robanus-Maandag ◽  
Martin van der Valk ◽  
Michiko Niwa-Kawakita ◽  
Vincent Abramowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type 2 ◽  
Osseous Metaplasia ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Function ◽  
Cell Compartment ◽  
Cell Hyperplasia ◽  
Exon 2

Hemizygosity for the NF2 gene in humans causes a syndromic susceptibility to schwannoma development. However, Nf2hemizygous mice do not develop schwannomas but mainly osteosarcomas. In the tumors of both species, the second Nf2 allele is inactivated. We report that conditional homozygous Nf2 knockout mice with Cre-mediated excision of Nf2 exon 2 in Schwann cells showed characteristics of neurofibromatosis type 2. These included schwannomas, Schwann cell hyperplasia, cataract, and osseous metaplasia. Thus, the tumor suppressor function of Nf2, here revealed in murine Schwann cells, was concealed in hemizygousNf2 mice because of insufficient rate of second allele inactivation in this cell compartment. The finding of this conserved function documents the relevance of the present approach to model the human disease.

scholarly journals Transposon Mutagenesis-Guided CRISPR/Cas9 Screening Strongly Implicates Dysregulation of Hippo/YAP Signaling in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Development

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1584
Author(s):  
Germán L. Vélez-Reyes ◽  
Nicholas Koes ◽  
Ji Hae Ryu ◽  
Gabriel Kaufmann ◽  
Mariah Berner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Genes ◽  
Tumor Formation ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Suppressor Genes ◽  
Nerve Sheath

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are highly aggressive, genomically complex, have soft tissue sarcomas, and are derived from the Schwann cell lineage. Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 syndrome (NF1), an autosomal dominant tumor predisposition syndrome, are at a high risk for MPNSTs, which usually develop from pre-existing benign Schwann cell tumors called plexiform neurofibromas. NF1 is characterized by loss-of-function mutations in the NF1 gene, which encode neurofibromin, a Ras GTPase activating protein (GAP) and negative regulator of RasGTP-dependent signaling. In addition to bi-allelic loss of NF1, other known tumor suppressor genes include TP53, CDKN2A, SUZ12, and EED, all of which are often inactivated in the process of MPNST growth. A sleeping beauty (SB) transposon-based genetic screen for high-grade Schwann cell tumors in mice, and comparative genomics, implicated Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K-AKT-mTOR, and other pathways in MPNST development and progression. We endeavored to more systematically test genes and pathways implicated by our SB screen in mice, i.e., in a human immortalized Schwann cell-based model and a human MPNST cell line, using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We individually induced loss-of-function mutations in 103 tumor suppressor genes (TSG) and oncogene candidates. We assessed anchorage-independent growth, transwell migration, and for a subset of genes, tumor formation in vivo. When tested in a loss-of-function fashion, about 60% of all TSG candidates resulted in the transformation of immortalized human Schwann cells, whereas 30% of oncogene candidates resulted in growth arrest in a MPNST cell line. Individual loss-of-function mutations in the TAOK1, GDI2, NF1, and APC genes resulted in transformation of immortalized human Schwann cells and tumor formation in a xenograft model. Moreover, the loss of all four of these genes resulted in activation of Hippo/Yes Activated Protein (YAP) signaling. By combining SB transposon mutagenesis and CRISPR/Cas9 screening, we established a useful pipeline for the validation of MPNST pathways and genes. Our results suggest that the functional genetic landscape of human MPNST is complex and implicate the Hippo/YAP pathway in the transformation of neurofibromas. It is thus imperative to functionally validate individual cancer genes and pathways using human cell-based models, to determinate their role in different stages of MPNST development, growth, and/or metastasis.

scholarly journals Interleukin-4 Regulates the Expression of CD209 and Subsequent Uptake of Mycobacterium leprae by Schwann Cells in Human Leprosy

2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
pp. 4634-4643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosane M. B. Teles ◽  
Stephan R. Krutzik ◽  
Maria T. Ochoa ◽  
Rosane B. Oliveira ◽  
Euzenir N. Sarno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Primary Cultures ◽  
Mycobacterium Leprae ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Interleukin 4 ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Specific Cell

ABSTRACT The ability of microbial pathogens to target specific cell types is a key aspect of the pathogenesis of infectious disease. Mycobacterium leprae, by infecting Schwann cells, contributes to nerve injury in patients with leprosy. Here, we investigated mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction in the peripheral nerve lesions of leprosy. We found that the expression of the C-type lectin, CD209, known to be expressed on tissue macrophages and to mediate the uptake of M. leprae, was present on Schwann cells, colocalizing with the Schwann cell marker, CNPase (2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase), along with the M. leprae antigen PGL-1 in the peripheral nerve biopsy specimens. In vitro, human CD209-positive Schwann cells, both from primary cultures and a long-term line, have a higher binding of M. leprae compared to CD209-negative Schwann cells. Interleukin-4, known to be expressed in skin lesions from multibacillary patients, increased CD209 expression on human Schwann cells and subsequent Schwann cell binding to M. leprae, whereas Th1 cytokines did not induce CD209 expression on these cells. Therefore, the regulated expression of CD209 represents a common mechanism by which Schwann cells and macrophages bind and take up M. leprae, contributing to the pathogenesis of leprosy.

Remyelination of Demyelinated CNS Axons by Transplanted Human Schwann Cells: The Deleterious Effect of Contaminating Fibroblasts

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. H. Brierley ◽  
A. J. Crang ◽  
Y. Iwashita ◽  
J. M. Gilson ◽  
N. J. Scolding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Axonal Degeneration ◽  
Autologous Transplantation ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Demyelinating Lesions ◽  
Cell Implantation

Areas of demyelination can be remyelinated by transplanting myelin-forming cells. Schwann cells are the naturally remyelinating cells of the peripheral nervous system and have a number of features that may make them attractive for cell implantation therapies in multiple sclerosis, in which spontaneous but limited Schwann cell remyelination has been well documented. Schwann cells can be expanded in vitro, potentially affording the opportunity of autologous transplantation; and they might also be spared the demyelinating process in multiple sclerosis. Although rat, cat, and monkey Schwann cells have been transplanted into rodent demyelinating lesions, the behavior of transplanted human Schwann cells has not been evaluated. In this study we examined the consequences of injecting human Schwann cells into areas of acute demyelination in the spinal cords of adult rats. We found that transplants containing significant fibroblast contamination resulted in deposition of large amounts of collagen and extensive axonal degeneration. However, Schwann cell preparations that had been purified by positive immunoselection using antibodies to human low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor containing less than 10% fibroblasts were associated with remyelination. This result indicates that fibroblast contamination of human Schwann cells represents a greater problem than would have been appreciated from previous studies.

Axonal signalling and the making of olfactory ensheathing cells: a hypothesis

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
KONSTANTIN WEWETZER ◽  
GUDRUN BRANDES
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Neurotrophin Receptor ◽  
Olfactory Ensheathing Cells ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Neural Repair ◽  
Ensheathing Cells

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are Schwann cell-like glial cells of the olfactory system that promote neural repair under experimental conditions. It is a matter of debate in how far OECs resemble Schwann cells and whether they possess specific properties. Although OECs have been characterized mainly with respect to their regenerative effects after transplantation, both their cellular identity and the regulating factors involved have remained vague. The aim of this article is to define OEC and Schwann-cell identity in molecular terms, and to discuss crucial factors that are involved in determination in vitro and in vivo. Distinct OEC features such as the down-regulation of the low affinity neurotrophin receptor p75NTR by neuronal contact are apparent in vivo under physiological conditions, whereas OECs acquire a Schwann cell-like phenotype and up-regulate p75NTR expression in vitro and following transplantation into the lesioned spinal cord. This might indicate that establishment of the OEC phenotype depends on specific axonal stimuli. In this review we hypothesize that OECs and Schwann cells possess malleable cellular phenotypes that acquire distinct features only upon specific interaction with their natural neuronal partner. This concept is consistent with previous findings in vitro and in vivo, and might be relevant for studies that use OECs and Schwann cells for nervous system repair.

scholarly journals Farnesyl transferase inhibitor resistance probed by target mutagenesis

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 2102-2109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tal Raz ◽  
Valentina Nardi ◽  
Mohammad Azam ◽  
Jorge Cortes ◽  
George Q. Daley
Keyword(s):  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Chemotherapy Resistance ◽  
Cellular Protein ◽  
Myelogenous Leukemia ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
In Vitro Mutagenesis ◽  
Farnesyl Transferase ◽  
Farnesyl Protein Transferase ◽  
The Many

AbstractMutation in the target oncoprotein is a common mechanism of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, as exemplified by the many BCR/ABL mutations that thwart imatinib activity in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. It remains unclear whether normal cellular protein targets of chemotherapeutics will evolve drug resistance via mutation to a similar extent. We conducted an in vitro screen for resistance to lonafarnib, a farnesyl protein transferase inhibitor that blocks prenylation of a number of proteins important in cell proliferation, and identified 9 mutations clustering around the lonafarnib binding site. In patients treated with a combination of imatinib and lonafarnib, we identified farnesyl protein transferase mutations in residues identified in our screen. Substitutions at Y361 were found in patients prior to treatment initiation, suggesting that these mutants might confer a proliferative advantage to leukemia cells, which we were able to confirm in cell culture. In vitro mutagenesis of normal cellular enzymes can be exploited to identify mutations that confer chemotherapy resistance to novel agents.

scholarly journals Activation of Raf signalling in NF2-null Schwann cells leads to sustained proliferation; an investigation of a new and inducible model for human schwannoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. iv7-iv7
Author(s):  
Charlotte Lespade ◽  
Liyam Laraba ◽  
Evyn Woodhouse ◽  
Marie Srotyr ◽  
Alison C Lloyd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Nerve Injury ◽  
Dorsal Root Ganglia ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type 2 ◽  
Proliferation Response

Abstract Aims The NF2 gene encodes the tumour suppressor Merlin, which is deleted in 100% of patients with the familial tumour predisposition syndrome neurofibromatosis type 2 but also in 70% of those who develop sporadic schwannomas. The Raf-TR mouse model uses a tamoxifen-inducible Raf-kinase/ oestrogen receptor fusion protein (Raf-TR) expressed in myelinating Schwann cells to mimic a nerve injury response in Schwann cell by activating Raf/MEK/ERK signalling in the absence of peripheral nerve injury. We will assess whether Raf/MEK/ERK activation on an NF2 null background leads to tumourigenesis within the vestibular nerves and dorsal root ganglia (DRGs), two tumour sites identified in the Periostin-Cre mouse model in which schwannoma formation is spontaneous, with a view to generating an inducible NF2 null schwannoma mouse model. Method Mice with a Schwann cell specific loss of Merlin were crossed with mice carrying a tamoxifen-inducible Raf-TR gene to generate Raf-TR+/-; P0-Cre+/-; NF2fl/fl (Cre+) mice which were NF2 null and compared to Raf-TR+/-; P0-Cre-/-; NF2fl/fl (Cre-) littermate controls. Mice were injected with tamoxifen or vehicle for five consecutive days and their vestibular nerves and dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) were analysed at various timepoints . An EdU proliferation assay was used to quantify the proliferation in the vestibular ganglia, as well as the DRGs. Rates of proliferation were compared to Cre- age-matched littermate controls treated with tamoxifen or vehicle. Results In the Periostin-Cre NF2 null schwannoma model, tumours form spontaneously in the DRGs and vestibular ganglia. In our new model, we see a clear increase in proliferation at 21 d post-injection in the NF2 null (Cre+) tamoxifen-treated mice compared to control (Cre-) tamoxifen-treated controls in both DRGs and vestibular ganglia. Cre- tamoxifen-treated mice do not show increased proliferation compared to Cre- vehicle controls. Taken together, this shows that activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway in Schwann cells only causes a sustained proliferation response on an NF2 null background in the DRGs and vestibular ganglia. We are assessing later timepoints to further characterise tumour development in these mice. Conclusion Combining the Raf-TR mouse model to create a demyelinating phenotype with an NF2 null background leads to vastly increased rates of proliferation at the sites of schwannoma tumourigenesis within the peripheral nervous system: the DRGs and the vestibular ganglia. The high proliferation in the vestibular ganglia in particular is similar to the development of vestibular schwannomas in patients with Neurofibromatosis type 2. The new mouse model used in this study shows potential to be very useful as an inducible schwannoma tumour model, in which we can study the early events of tumour formation.

Neurofibromin-deficient fibroblasts fail to form perineurium in vitro

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (11) ◽  
pp. 3583-3592
Author(s):  
T. Rosenbaum ◽  
Y.L. Boissy ◽  
K. Kombrinck ◽  
C.I. Brannan ◽  
N.A. Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type 1 ◽  
Fibroblast Cell ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type ◽  
Type I ◽  
Nerve Sheath Tumors ◽  
Cell Strains ◽  
Perineurial Cells

To identify cell type(s) that might contribute to nerve sheath tumors (neurofibromas) in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1, we generated cell cultures containing neurons. Schwann cells and fibroblasts from transgenic mouse embryos in which the type 1 neurofibromatosis gene was disrupted by homologous recombination (Brannan et al. (1994) Genes Development, 8,1019-1029). Normal fascicle formation by perineurial cells failed to occur in the absence of neurofibromin. Fascicles were reduced in number and showed abnormal morphology when normal neurons and Schwann cells were cultured up to 37 days with fibroblasts lacking neurofibromin. Proliferation was increased in a majority of fibroblast cell strains analyzed from embryos lacking neurofibromin. These observations suggest that mutations in the neurofibromatosis type I gene affect fibroblast behavior that might contribute to neurofibroma formation in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1.

scholarly journals Neuron Regeneration and Proliferation Effects of Danshen and Tanshinone IIA

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jui-Lung Shen ◽  
Yueh-Sheng Chen ◽  
Jing-Ying Lin ◽  
Yun-Chen Tien ◽  
Wen-Huang Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Map Kinases ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Tanshinone Iia ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Neuron Regeneration

This study evaluates the proliferative effects of danshen and its monomer extract, tanshinone IIA, on Schwann cell proliferation. A piece of silicone rubber was guided across a 15-mm gap in the sciatic nerve of a rat. This nerve gap was then filled with different concentrations of danshen (0–100 mg/mL). The results showed that danshen increased the expressions of uPA, cyclin D1, E and ERK, JNK, and P38 MAP kinases via the FGF-2 signaling pathway in a dose-dependent manner. RSC96, Schwann cells were also administered with danshen (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 μg/mL) and tanshinone IIA (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 μg/mL). In lower concentrations, danshen and tanshinone IIA exhibited an apparent effect on Schwann cells. Similar effects were also demonstrated in the FGF-2-uPA regulating cascade and cell cycle proliferative protein results. Schwann cell migration was elevated as well. We used MAPK-signaling chemical inhibitors and identified the proliferative effects of danshen and tanshinone IIA as MAPK-signaling dependent. The results from thein vitrosystems indicate that danshen and tanshinone IIA can be used to induce Schwann cell proliferation, andin vivoresults potentially suggest that danshen and tanshinone IIA might enhance neuron regeneration.

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

1984 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 1291-1295 ◽  
Author(s):  
H D Shine ◽  
R L Sidman
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Genetic Locus ◽  
Neuronal Cells ◽  
Recessive Mutation ◽  
Basic Proteins ◽  
Cellular Target

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.

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