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Neurochem Res (2010) 35:16431651 DOI 10.1007/s11064-010-0225-0
ORIGINAL PAPER
Effect of NRG1, GDNF, EGF and NGF in the Migration of a Schwann Cell Precursor Line
Martha Cornejo Deborah Nambi Christopher Walheim Matthew Somerville
Jacquae Walker Lino Kim Lauren Ollison Graciel Diamante
Saurabh Vyawahare Maria Elena de Bellard
Accepted: 23 June 2010 / Published online: 13 July 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract The Schwann cells are the myelinating glia of the peripheral nervous system that originated during development from the highly motile neural crest. However, we do not know what the guidance signals for the Schwann cell precursors are. Therefore, we set to test some of the known neurotrophins that are expressed early in developing embryos and have been shown to be critical for the survival and patterning of developing glia and neurons. The goal of this study was to determine more specically if GDNF, NRG1 and NGF are chemoattractants and/or chemokinetic molecules for a Schwann cell precursor line, the Spl201. We performed live chemoattraction assays, with imaging and also presented these molecules as part of their growing substrate. Our results show for the rst time that GDNF and NRG1 are potent chemoattractive and chemokinetic molecules for these cells while NGF is a chemokinetic molecule stimulating their motility.
Keywords Schwann cell precursors NeuregulinB1
NGF GDNF Cell migration Chemoattraction
Introduction
The development of the nervous system is a fascinating process involving cell induction, determination and movement. In the embryo, neural crest cells are amongst the most motile and persistent, starting with a transformation from an epithelial to a mesenchymal cell in the neural tube, to becoming a heterogeneous population that migrates quickly and extensively throughout the early developing embryo. The neural crest gives rise to a wide variety of cells amongst which is the peripheral glia: Schwann cells [1, 2]. Therefore, Schwann cells derive from a population of cells that initially have stem cell properties and are highly motile [1, 3, 4].
Developing Schwann cell precursors encounter a rich environment during their migration into the embryo tissues [5]. Along this path they encounter signals (extra-cellular matrix proteins, membrane associated as well as secreted guidance molecules) that likely guide them to their targets [6, 7]. However, it has not been tested and proven if Schwann cell precursors...