Oligodendrocyte precursor (O-2A progenitor cell) migration; a model system for the study of cell migration in the developing central nervous system

Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 119 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. 219-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. W. Kiernan ◽  
Charles ffrench-Constant

Cell migration plays an important role in the development of complex multicellular organisms. The molecular mechanisms that regulate this migration arc therefore of great interest. Unfortunately, however, analysis of cell migration in vertebrates is hampered by the inaccessability of the cells and the difficulty of manipulating their environment within the embryo. This review focusses on one particular migratory cell population, the oligodendrocyte p1ecursor cell or O-2A progenitor cell, that gives rise to the myelin-forming oligodendrocytes within the CNS. These cells mi grate extensively during normal development. They can be purified and grown in large numbers in cell culture, so allowing the use of reductionist approaches using cell and molecular biology techniques. Moreover, cultured cells will migrate within the CNS following transplantation. As a result, the migration of these cells in vivo can be analysed following manipulation in vitro. Taken together, we believe that the different properties of these cells makes them excellent candidates for studies addressing the control of cell migration in the developing nervous system.

1991 ◽  
Vol 331 (1261) ◽  
pp. 259-262

In the developing vertebrate nervous system the survival of neurons becomes dependent on the supply of a neurotrophic factor from their targets when their axons reach these targets. To determine how the onset of neurotrophic factor dependency is coordinated with the arrival of axons in the target field, we have studied the growth and survival of four populations of cranial sensory neurons whose axons have markedly different distances to grow to reach their targets. Axonal growth rate both in vivo and in vitro is related to target distance; neurons with more distant targets grow faster. The onset trophic factor dependency in culture is also related to target distance; neurons with more distant targets survive longer before becoming trophic factor dependent. These data suggest that programmes of growth and survival in early neurons play an important role in coordinating the timing of trophic interactions in the developing nervous system.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiza Da Cunha Stankevicins ◽  
Marta Urbanska ◽  
Daniel AD. Flormann ◽  
Emmanuel Terriac ◽  
Zahra Mostajeran ◽  
...  

AbstractDendritic cells use amoeboid migration through constricted passages to reach the lymph nodes, and this homing function is crucial for immune responses. Amoeboid migration requires mechanical resilience, however, the underlying molecular mechanisms for this type of migration remain unknown. Because vimentin intermediate filaments (IFs) and microfilaments regulate adhesion-dependent migration in a bidirectional manner, we analyzed if they exert a similar control on amoeboid migration. Vimentin was required for cellular resilience, via a joint interaction between vimentin IFs and F-actin. Reduced actin mobility in the cell cortex of vimentin-reduced cells indicated that vimentin promotes Factin subunit exchange and dynamics. These mechano-dynamic alterations in vimentin-deficient dendritic cells impaired amoeboid migration in confined environments in vitro and blocked lymph node homing in mouse experiments in vivo. Correct nuclear positioning is important in confined amoeboid migration both to minimize resistance and to avoid DNA damage. Vimentin-deficiency also led to DNA double strand breaks in the compressed dendritic cells, pointing to a role of vimentin in nuclear positioning. Together, these observations show that vimentin IF-microfilament interactions provide both the specific mechano-dynamics required for dendritic cell migration and the protection the genome needs in compressed spaces.Summary statementVimentin — in joint action with actin — mediates the mechanical stiffness of cells required for amoeboid cell migration through confined spaces and protects the nucleus from DNA damage.


1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (3) ◽  
pp. R350-R355 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. H. Vandenburgh

Mechanical forces play an important role in modulating the growth of a number of different tissues including skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, bone, endothelium, epithelium, and lung. As interest increases in the molecular mechanisms by which mechanical forces are transduced into growth alterations, model systems are being developed to study these processes in tissue culture. This paper reviews the current methods available for mechanically stimulating tissue cultured cells. It then outlines some of the putative “mechanogenic” second messengers involved in altering cell growth. Not surprisingly, many mechanogenic second messengers are the same as those involved in growth factor-induced cell growth. It is hypothesized that from an evolutionary standpoint, some second messenger systems may have initially evolved for unicellular organisms to respond to physical forces such as gravity and mechanical perturbation in their environment. As multicellular organisms came into existence, they appropriated these mechanogenic second messenger cascades for cellular regulation by growth factors.


1998 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 1497-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth S. Slack ◽  
Hiba El-Bizri ◽  
Josée Wong ◽  
Daniel J. Belliveau ◽  
Freda D. Miller

In this report, we have examined the requirement for the retinoblastoma (Rb) gene family in neuronal determination with a focus on the developing neocortex. To determine whether pRb is required for neuronal determination in vivo, we crossed the Rb−/− mice with transgenic mice expressing β-galactosidase from the early, panneuronal Tα1 α-tubulin promoter (Tα1:nlacZ). In E12.5 Rb−/− embryos, the Tα1:nlacZ transgene was robustly expressed throughout the developing nervous system. However, by E14.5, there were perturbations in Tα1:nlacZ expression throughout the nervous system, including deficits in the forebrain and retina. To more precisely define the temporal requirement for pRb in neuronal determination, we functionally ablated the pRb family in wild-type cortical progenitor cells that undergo the transition to postmitotic neurons in vitro by expression of a mutant adenovirus E1A protein. These studies revealed that induction of Tα1:nlacZ did not require proteins of the pRb family. However, in their absence, determined, Tα1:nlacZ-positive cortical neurons underwent apoptosis, presumably as a consequence of “mixed signals” deriving from their inability to undergo terminal mitosis. In contrast, when the pRb family was ablated in postmitotic cortical neurons, there was no effect on neuronal survival, nor did it cause the postmitotic neurons to reenter the cell cycle. Together, these studies define a critical temporal window of requirement for the pRb family; these proteins are not required for induction of neuronal gene expression or for the maintenance of postmitotic neurons, but are essential for determined neurons to exit the cell cycle and survive.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Avishek Ghosh ◽  
Sanjeev Sharma ◽  
Dhananjay Shinde ◽  
Visvanathan Ramya ◽  
Padinjat Raghu

Abstract Phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate (PI5P) is a low abundance lipid proposed to have functions in cell migration, DNA damage responses, receptor trafficking and insulin signalling in metazoans. However, studies of PI5P function are limited by the lack of scalable techniques to quantify its level from cells and tissues in multicellular organisms. Currently, PI5P measurement requires the use of radionuclide labelling approaches that are not easily applicable in tissues or in vivo samples. In the present study, we describe a simple and reliable, non-radioactive mass assay to measure total PI5P levels from cells and tissues of Drosophila, a genetically tractable multicellular model. We use heavy oxygen-labelled ATP (18O-ATP) to label PI5P from tissue extracts while converting it into PI(4,5)P2 using an in vitro kinase reaction. The product of this reaction can be selectively detected and quantified with high sensitivity using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) platform. Further, using this method, we capture and quantify the unique acyl chain composition of PI5P from Drosophila cells and tissues. Finally, we demonstrate the use of this technique to quantify elevations in PI5P levels, from Drosophila larval tissues and cultured cells depleted of phosphatidylinositol 5 phosphate 4-kinase (PIP4K), that metabolizes PI5P into PI(4,5)P2 thus regulating its levels. Thus, we demonstrate the potential of our method to quantify PI5P levels with high sensitivity from cells and tissues of multicellular organisms thus accelerating understanding of PI5P functions in vivo.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jieli Chen ◽  
Chunling Zhang ◽  
Hao Jiang ◽  
Yi Li ◽  
Lijie Zhang ◽  
...  

Molecular mechanisms underlying the role of statins in the induction of brain plasticity and subsequent improvement of neurologic outcome after treatment of stroke have not been adequately investigated. Here, we use both in vivo and in vitro studies to investigate the potential roles of two prominent factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in mediating brain plasticity after treatment of stroke with atorvastatin. Treatment of stroke in adult mice with atorvastatin daily for 14 days, starting at 24 hours after MCAO, shows significant improvement in functional recovery compared with control animals. Atorvastatin increases VEGF, VEGFR2 and BDNF expression in the ischemic border. Numbers of migrating neurons, developmental neurons and synaptophysin-positive cells as well as indices of angiogenesis were significantly increased in the atorvastatin treatment group, compared with controls. In addition, atorvastatin significantly increased brain subventricular zone (SVZ) explant cell migration in vitro. Anti-BDNF antibody significantly inhibited atorvastatin-induced SVZ explant cell migration, indicating a prominent role for BDNF in progenitor cell migration. Mouse brain endothelial cell culture expression of BDNF and VEGFR2 was significantly increased in atorvastatin-treated cells compared with control cells. Inhibition of VEGFR2 significantly decreased expression of BDNF in brain endothelial cells. These data indicate that atorvastatin promotes angiogenesis, brain plasticity and enhances functional recovery after stroke. In addition, VEGF, VEGFR2 and BDNF likely contribute to these restorative processes.


1997 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Milner

1. Multiple sclerosis is characterized by areas of demyelination spread throughout the central nervous system, in which the myelin sheaths surrounding axons are destroyed. While therapies aimed at suppressing the autoimmune response, such as β-interferon, may prevent further damage, they cannot repair or replace the lost myelin. To this end, an additional therapy has been proposed, which involves transplanting cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage into the central nervous system. 2. The cell of interest for transplantation is the oligodendrocyte precursor because, unlike the differentiated cell, it is an intrinsically migratory and proliferative cell. In order to optimize the transplant strategy we have investigated the molecular mechanisms that control migration in vitro, so that these mechanisms might be upregulated to maximize cell migration in vivo. We have focused on the integrin family of cell adhesion molecules, known to play a fundamental role in the regulation of migration in other cell types. 3. These studies show that oligodendrocytes express a limited repertoire of integrins consisting of α6β1 and three different αv integrins. α6β1 is expressed throughout development but αv integrins show developmental regulation; differentiation is accompanied by loss of αvβ1 and upregulation of αvβ5. 4. Function-blocking studies show that oligodendrocyte precursor migration in vitro is mediated primarily by the developmentally regulated αvβ1 integrin, but not α6β1 or αvβ3. Taken together with previous evidence that cell migration can be regulated by altering integrin expression, this work suggests that modifying expression levels of αvβ1 on oligodendrocyte precursors may increase the migratory capacity of these cells. If so, this would support a future therapeutic strategy aimed at transplanting genetically modified oligodendrocyte precursors to repair widespread demyelinated lesions.


2000 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. A. Jänne ◽  
A.-M. Moilanen ◽  
H. Poukka ◽  
N. Rouleau ◽  
U. Karvonen ◽  
...  

Androgen receptor (AR) belongs to the super-family of nuclear hormone receptors that employ complex molecular mechanisms to guide the development and physiological functions of their target tissues. Our recent work has led to the identification of four novel proteins that recognize AR zinc-finger region (ZFR) both in vivo and in vitro. One is a small nuclear RING-finger protein that possesses separate interaction interfaces for AR and for other transcription activators such as Spl. The second is a nuclear serine/threonine protein kinase (androgen-receptor-interacting nuclear protein kinase; ANPK); however, the receptor itself does not seem to be a substrate for this kinase. The third one is dubbed androgen-receptor-interacting protein 3 (ARIP3) and is a novel member of the PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) protein family. The fourth protein, termed ARIP4, is a nuclear ATPase that belongs to the SNF2-like family of chromatin remodelling proteins. All four proteins exhibit a punctate nuclear pattern when expressed in cultured cells. Each protein modulates AR-dependent transactivation in co-transfection experiments; their activating functions are not restricted to AR. Current work is aimed at elucidating the biochemical and functional properties of these AR-interacting proteins and at finding the partner proteins that form complexes with them in vivo.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 096368972110129
Author(s):  
Yu-Ting Tseng ◽  
Mo Chen ◽  
James St John ◽  
Jenny Ekberg

Cell transplantation shows promise for repair of the injured nervous system, including spinal cord injury (SCI) and peripheral nerve injury (PNI). There are, however, still problems hampering these therapies moving from bench to bedside, and the methods need optimization. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems are suggested to improve outcomes, bridging the gap between the in vitro and in vivo environments. In such constructs, cells are allowed to interact with each other and with the extracellular matrix (ECM) in 3D as they do in vivo. Transplanting cells in 3D constructs, rather than in suspension, is thought to promote cell survival and maintain important cellular behaviors. One such critical behavior is cell migration into and within the injury site. Understanding and controlling the migratory capability of 3D-cultured cells is therefore pivotal for developing better transplantation techniques. ECM remodelling can influence numerous cellular functions, including cell migration and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important enzymes for ECM modulation. Here, we discuss the idea of modulating MMPs to control cell migration in 3D culture systems, which can improve the therapeutic potential of cells transplanted in 3D.


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