 |
Previous Article | Next Article 
Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 16, 2064-2073, Copyright © 1996 by Society for Neuroscience
Glial cells are increased proportionally in transgenic optic nerves with increased numbers of axons
JF Burne, JK Staple and MC Raff
Medical Research Council Developmental Neurobiology Programme, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, United Kingdom.
To study how an increase in axon number influences the number of glial
cells in the mammalian optic nerve, we have analyzed a previously described
transgenic mouse that expresses the human bcl-2 gene from a neuron-specific
enolase promoter. In these mice, the normal postnatal loss of retinal
ganglion cell axons is greatly decreased and, as a consequence, the number
of axons in the optic nerve is increased by approximately 80% compared with
wild-type mice. Remarkably, the numbers of oligodendrocytes, astrocytes,
and microglial cells are all increased proportionally in the transgenic
optic nerve. The increase in oligodendrocytes apparently results from both
a decrease in normal oligodendrocyte death and an increase in
oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation, whereas the increase in
astrocytes apparently results from an increase in the proliferation of
astrocyte lineage cells. Unexpectedly, the transgene is expressed in
oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, but this does not seem to be responsible
for the increased numbers of these cells. These findings indicate that
developing neurons and glial cells can interact to adjust glial cell
numbers appropriately when neuronal numbers are increased. We also show
that the expression of the bcl-2 transgene in retinal ganglion cells
protects the cell body from programmed cell death when the axon is cut, but
it does not protect the isolated axon from Wallerian degeneration, even
though the transgene-encoded protein is present in the axon.
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. Simons and K. Trajkovic
Neuron-glia communication in the control of oligodendrocyte function and myelin biogenesis
J. Cell Sci.,
November 1, 2006;
119(21):
4381 - 4389.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
L. Gao and R. H. Miller
Specification of optic nerve oligodendrocyte precursors by retinal ganglion cell axons.
J. Neurosci.,
July 19, 2006;
26(29):
7619 - 7628.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. J. Seecharan, A. L. Kulkarni, L. Lu, G. D. Rosen, and R. W. Williams
Genetic Control of Interconnected Neuronal Populations in the Mouse Primary Visual System
J. Neurosci.,
December 3, 2003;
23(35):
11178 - 11188.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
G. D. Dakubo, Y. P. Wang, C. Mazerolle, K. Campsall, A. P. McMahon, and V. A. Wallace
Retinal ganglion cell-derived sonic hedgehog signaling is required for optic disc and stalk neuroepithelial cell development
Development,
July 1, 2003;
130(13):
2967 - 2980.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. C. Raff, A. V. Whitmore, and J. T. Finn
Axonal Self-Destruction and Neurodegeneration
Science,
May 3, 2002;
296(5569):
868 - 871.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S.-K. Park, R. Miller, I. Krane, and T. Vartanian
The erbB2 gene is required for the development of terminally differentiated spinal cord oligodendrocytes
J. Cell Biol.,
September 17, 2001;
154(6):
1245 - 1258.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. H Gillingwater and R. R Ribchester
Compartmental neurodegeneration and synaptic plasticity in the Wlds mutant mouse
J. Physiol.,
August 1, 2001;
534(3):
627 - 639.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
N. L. Brown, S. Patel, J. Brzezinski, and T. Glaser
Math5 is required for retinal ganglion cell and optic nerve formation
Development,
July 1, 2001;
128(13):
2497 - 2508.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
P. J. Horner, A. E. Power, G. Kempermann, H. G. Kuhn, T. D. Palmer, J. Winkler, L. J. Thal, and F. H. Gage
Proliferation and Differentiation of Progenitor Cells Throughout the Intact Adult Rat Spinal Cord
J. Neurosci.,
March 15, 2000;
20(6):
2218 - 2228.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. T. Finn, M. Weil, F. Archer, R. Siman, A. Srinivasan, and M. C. Raff
Evidence That Wallerian Degeneration and Localized Axon Degeneration Induced by Local Neurotrophin Deprivation Do Not Involve Caspases
J. Neurosci.,
February 15, 2000;
20(4):
1333 - 1341.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
B. A. Barres and M. C. Raff
Axonal Control of Oligodendrocyte Development
J. Cell Biol.,
December 13, 1999;
147(6):
1123 - 1128.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Chierzi, E. Strettoi, M. C. Cenni, and L. Maffei
Optic Nerve Crush: Axonal Responses in Wild-Type and bcl-2 Transgenic Mice
J. Neurosci.,
October 1, 1999;
19(19):
8367 - 8376.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
H. Ueda, J.M. Levine, R.H. Miller, and B.D. Trapp
Rat Optic Nerve Oligodendrocytes Develop in the Absence of Viable Retinal Ganglion Cell Axons
J. Cell Biol.,
September 20, 1999;
146(6):
1365 - 1374.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
V. Wallace and M. Raff
A role for Sonic hedgehog in axon-to-astrocyte signalling in the rodent optic nerve
Development,
January 7, 1999;
126(13):
2901 - 2909.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
P. Casaccia-Bonnefil, R. Tikoo, H. Kiyokawa, V. Friedrich Jr., M. V. Chao, and A. Koff
Oligodendrocyte precursor differentiation is perturbed in the absence of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1
Genes & Dev.,
September 15, 1997;
11(18):
2335 - 2346.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
B. D. Trapp, A. Nishiyama, D. Cheng, and W. Macklin
Differentiation and Death of Premyelinating Oligodendrocytes in Developing Rodent Brain
J. Cell Biol.,
April 21, 1997;
137(2):
459 - 468.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
B. N. Oumesmar, L. Vignais, and A. Baron-Van Evercooren
Developmental Expression of Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha -Receptor in Neurons and Glial Cells of the Mouse CNS
J. Neurosci.,
January 1, 1997;
17(1):
125 - 139.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
|

|