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The extension of cellular processes from the oligodendrocyte soma is an early and critical event in myelin formation. Previous reports from this laboratory have implicated a role for protein kinase C (PKC) as an important intracellular mediator of this critical step in myelinogenesis. In the current study, the regrowth of fibers by adult human oligodendrocytes was examined and was found to be significantly enhanced by the PKC stimulator, 4β-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (PDB); this was accompanied by a 400–500% increase in oligodendroglial PKC activity. In contrast to other cell types, the increased PKC activity in oligodendrocytes was not followed by subsequent down-regulation of the enzyme. The role of PKC in oligodendroglial process formation was further demonstrated by the ability of inhibitors of PKC to block the basal- or PDB-enhanced fiber outgrowth. As well, studies employing isoform-specific agonists implicated PKCα as the major determinant of fiber outgrowth by oligodendrocytes. The potential significance of PKC in myelin formation was further underscored by the observation that the synthesis of myelin basic protein, a prerequisite component for myelinogenesis, was increased by 2-fold in PDB-treated oligodendrocytes. Collectively, these observations suggest that PKC, in particular the α isoform, constitutes an important mediator in the initiation of myelin formation. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

It was previously reported that a monoclonal antibody to beta-amyloid precursor protein (mab22C11; Boehringer Mannheim, Indianapolis, IN) labels an intermediate filament-associated protein (beta APP-IFAP) in cultured human skin fibroblasts (Dooley et al.: J Neurosci Res 33:60-67, 1992). The time course of its expression and association with different classes of intermediate filaments has been assessed in neurons, Schwann cells, and astrocytes in dissociated cultures of murine brain and spinal cord-dorsal root ganglia; in primary cultures of human muscle; and in the epithelial cell line PtK1. beta APP-IFAP was expressed in all non-neuronal cell types examined. Mab22C11 immunoreactivity was minimal or absent following dissociation or subculture, but gradually increased with time. In fibroblasts, myoblasts, and epithelial cells, the distribution eventually resembled that of vimentin. With the exception of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), beta APP-IFAP was not associated with the intermediate filament proteins characteristically found in differentiated cells, i.e., desmin, the cytokeratins, and neurofilament proteins. No labeling of neurons by mab22C11 was observed at any stage of in vitro maturation. In sections of Alzheimer's brain, the antibody labeled a subpopulation of reactive astrocytes. It is suggested that beta APP-IFAP may be the product of a member of the beta APP multigene family expressed developmentally in non-neuronal cells.

The expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein (BAPP) and its mRNAs was studied in fibroblasts obtained from patients afflicted with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-matched controls. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), transcripts corresponding to 770, 751, 714, and 695 amino acids were detected in both AD and control fibroblasts. Antibody 22C11 against BAPP (Boehringer Mannheim) labeled an intracellular protein, specifically localized to the intermediate filament network. In addition to bands of the predicted molecular weights for BAPP (120–135 kDa), Western blotting revealed a 57 kDa band which was not evident in samples of human brain. As cytoskeletal elements are vital in maintaining cellular architecture and various cell interactions, localization of BAPP or a related molecule to the cytoskeleton suggests a possible structural role for this protein within the cell. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.