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Comparison of neuregulin‐1 expression in olfactory ensheathing cells, Schwann cells and astrocytes
Author(s) -
Thompson Russell J.,
Roberts Brett,
Alexander Claire L.,
Williams Sarah K.,
Barnett Susan C.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4547(20000715)61:2<172::aid-jnr8>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - neuregulin , olfactory ensheathing glia , biology , neuregulin 1 , microbiology and biotechnology , gene isoform , schwann cell , neuroglia , alternative splicing , olfactory system , neuroscience , signal transduction , central nervous system , olfactory bulb , gene , genetics
Recently we demonstrated that a member of the neuregulin‐1 (NRG‐1) family of growth factors is a mitogen and survival factor for olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). OECs are specialized glial cells within the olfactory system that are believed to play a role in the continual nerve re‐growth of this tissue. OECs share properties with both astrocytes and Schwann cells but are likely to be a distinct glial cell type. NRG‐1s have been found to be important regulators of Schwann cells in vivo, but the role of NRG‐1 for OECs is less clear. The nrg‐1 gene produces at least 12 different isoforms, that are likely to have different functions, due to alternative splicing of its mRNA. In this study, the expression of NRG‐1 mRNAs in OECs was compared with other glial cells and their corresponding tissue sources. Cultured glial cells, unlike their tissue sources, expressed NRG‐1 mRNAs containing the α EGF‐like domain and expressed only the type 1β isoform that lacks the glycosylated spacer domain. This correlated with expression of these isoforms during olfactory nerve degeneration in vivo. Although OECs expressed mRNA for all NRG‐1 isoforms, the protein could not be detected in concentrated supernatant, or on the cell surface by immunofluorescence, but was detected in the nucleus or cytoplasm (depending on the isoform). These data support the hypothesis that NRG‐1s play a functional role in OEC biology. J. Neurosci. Res. 61:172–185, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.