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Olfactory ensheathing cells express smooth muscle α‐actin in vitro and in vivo
Author(s) -
Jahed Ali,
Rowland James W.,
McDonald Todd,
Boyd J. Gordon,
Doucette Ronald,
Kawaja Michael D.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.21385
Subject(s) - olfactory ensheathing glia , biology , remyelination , regeneration (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , axon , olfactory system , anatomy , central nervous system , olfactory bulb , myelin
One strategy for spinal cord repair after injury that has moved quickly from the research laboratory to the clinic is the implantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). These unique glial cells of the olfactory system have been associated with axonal remyelination and regeneration after grafting into spinalized animals. Despite these promising observations, there remains a lack of direct empirical evidence of the exact fate of OECs after intraspinal implantation, in large part because of a surprising paucity of defined biomarkers that unequivocally distinguish these cells from phenotypically similar Schwann cells. Here we provide direct neurochemical proof that OECs, both in vitro and in vivo, express smooth muscle α‐actin. That OECs synthesize this contractile protein (and a variety of actin‐binding proteins including caldesmon) provides compelling evidence that these cells are, in fact, quite different from Schwann cells. The identification of several smooth muscle‐related proteins in OECs points to a new appreciation of the structural and functional features of this population of olfactory glia. These biomarkers can now be used to elucidate the fate of OECs after intraspinal implantation, in particular assessing whether smooth muscle α‐actin‐expressing OECs are capable of facilitating axon remyelination and regeneration. J. Comp. Neurol. 503:209–223, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.