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Myelination and motor coordination are increased in transferrin transgenic mice
Author(s) -
Saleh MariaCarla,
Espinosa de los Monteros Araceli,
de Arriba Zerpa Gonzalo A.,
Fontaine Isabelle,
Piaud Oriane,
Djordjijevic Dragan,
Baroukh Nadine,
Otin Angel Luis Garcia,
Ortiz Esteban,
Lewis Sandra,
Fiette Laurence,
Santambrogio Paolo,
Belzung Catherine,
Connor James R.,
de Vellis Jean,
Pasquini Juana M.,
Zakin Mario M.,
Baron Bruno,
Guillou Florian
Publication year - 2003
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/jnr.10619
Subject(s) - myelinogenesis , myelin , genetically modified mouse , oligodendrocyte , transferrin , transgene , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , central nervous system , biology , motor coordination , ferritin , immunology , endocrinology , biochemistry , gene
Myelin deficiency in the central nervous system (CNS) can cause severe disabling conditions. Most of the transgenic mice models overexpressing myelin components have limitations for investigators of myelin deficiency and myelin therapy as they severely alter CNS architecture. It has been postulated that transferrin (Tf) is involved in oligodendrocyte (OL) maturation and myelinogenesis. Because Tf is not an intrinsic myelin constituent, we decided to investigate if its overexpression could have an impact on the myelination process without affecting myelin integrity. We generated transgenic mice containing the complete human Tf gene specifically overexpressed in OLs. This overexpression leads to more than a 30% increase in myelin components, such as galactolipids, phospholipids, and proteins. Electron microscopy showed that myelin is structurally normal in terms of thickness and compaction. Behavior analysis showed that mice do not display significant modifications in their locomotion and cognitive and emotional abilities. Furthermore, in one of the genetic background, animals presented a significant increase in motor coordination. We did not find any modification in OL number during early postnatal development, suggesting that Tf does not act on OL proliferation. In addition, the levels of iron and ferritin remained unchanged in the brain of transgenic mice compared to control mice. Our findings indicate that, besides its known iron transport function, Tf is able to influence myelination process and induce behavioral improvements in mice. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.