ABSTRACT
Oligodendroglia growth factor (OGF) is a 16-kDa soluble protein produced by neuronal cell lines. This factor, when incubated with brain glia in culture, selectively stimulates growth of oligodendroglia, the myelin-producing cells of the CNS. OGF infused into the cerebral cortex of the adult rat accelerates the production of myelin proteins as shown by increased specific activity of the myelin enzyme 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (2',3'-CNPase), by stimulated synthesis of myelin basic protein, and by elevations in levels of myelin proteolipid protein RNA. The ability of OGF to induce myelin protein production in vivo suggests that neuron-secreted growth factors help to regulate myelin formation within the CNS.
Subject(s)
Brain/metabolism , Myelin Proteins/biosynthesis , Nerve Tissue Proteins/pharmacology , Neurons/metabolism , Animals , Cell Line , Chemical Phenomena , Chemistry , Glia Maturation Factor , Myelin Basic Protein/biosynthesis , Myelin Proteins/metabolism , Myelin Proteolipid Protein , Nerve Tissue Proteins/isolation & purification , Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism , RatsABSTRACT
There is growing evidence that immunomodulators influence cellular events within the central nervous system. Microglia are one important class of effector cells in the brain which both respond to and secrete immunoregulatory factors. By controlling the proliferation, death, or differentiation of neighboring cells, microglia may regulate the structure and function of neural tissues during development and in response to injury. As described here, suppression of microglia offers a new approach in the treatment of neurologic diseases.
