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Myelin basic protein (MBP) mRNA is localized to myelin produced by oligodendrocytes of the central nervous system. MBP mRNA microinjected into oligodendrocytes in primary culture is assembled into granules in the perikaryon, transported along the processes, and localized to the myelin compartment. In this work, microinjection of various deleted and chimeric RNAs was used to delineate regions in MBP mRNA that are required for transport and localization in oligodendrocytes. The results indicate that transport requires a 21-nucleotide sequence, termed the RNA transport signal (RTS), in the 3' UTR of MBP mRNA. Homologous sequences are present in several other localized mRNAs, suggesting that the RTS represents a general transport signal in a variety of different cell types. Insertion of the RTS from MBP mRNA into nontransported mRNAs, causes the RNA to be transported to the oligodendrocyte processes. Localization of mRNA to the myelin compartment requires an additional element, termed the RNA localization region (RLR), contained between nucleotide 1,130 and 1, 473 in the 3' UTR of MBP mRNA. Computer analysis predicts that this region contains a stable secondary structure. If the coding region of the mRNA is deleted, the RLR is no longer required for localization, and the region between nucleotide 667 and 953, containing the RTS, is sufficient for both RNA transport and localization. Thus, localization of coding RNA is RLR dependent, and localization of noncoding RNA is RLR independent, suggesting that they are localized by different pathways.

We have studied transport and localization of MBP mRNA in oligodendrocytes in culture by microinjecting labeled mRNA into living cells and analyzing the intracellular distribution of the injected RNA by confocal microscopy. Injected mRNA initially appears dispersed in the perikaryon. Within minutes, the RNA forms granules which, in the case of MBP mRNA, are transported down the processes to the periphery of the cell where the distribution again becomes dispersed. In situ hybridization shows that endogenous MBP mRNA in oligodendrocytes also appears as granules in the perikaryon and processes and dispersed in the peripheral membranes. The granules are not released by extraction with non-ionic detergent, indicating that they are associated with the cytoskeletal matrix. Three dimensional visualization indicates that MBP mRNA granules are often aligned in tracks along microtubules traversing the cytoplasm and processes. Several distinct patterns of granule movement are observed. Granules in the processes undergo sustained directional movement with a velocity of approximately 0.2 micron/s. Granules at branch points undergo oscillatory motion with a mean displacement of 0.1 micron/s. Granules in the periphery of the cell circulate randomly with a mean displacement of approximately 1 micron/s. The results are discussed in terms of a multi-step pathway for transport and localization of MBP mRNA in oligodendrocytes. This work represents the first characterization of intracellular movement of mRNA in living cells, and the first description of the role of RNA granules in transport and localization of mRNA in cells.

The physiological importance of protein kinase C during oligodendrocyte progenitor maturation was investigated by analyzing the effects of the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA) on the morphology, proliferation, and differentiation of oligodendrocytes at sequential stages of development. Monoclonal antibodies A2B5 and O4 were used to identify the A2B5+O4- and the A2B5+O4+ galactocerebroside- progenitor stages. Anti-galactocerebroside and anti-myelin basic protein were used to identify mature, post-mitotic oligodendrocytes. Proliferation was measured by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Within 24 hr after addition, TPA induced a down-regulation of the O4 antigen in OL progenitors, and an increase of expression of the intermediate filament protein vimentin, leading to a phenotypic reversion from the vimentin-A2B5+O4+ phenotype to the less mature vimentin+A2B5+O4- stage. Concomitantly, TPA induced an increase in the number of bromodeoxyuridine-labeled oligodendrocyte progenitors and extensive process elongation. The response of O4+ progenitors was transient. Even with continued exposure to TPA, by 4 days after TPA addition the reverted cells ceased proliferation, reacquired O4 immunoreactivity, became vimentin-negative, and began to express galactocerebroside and myelin basic protein, and to display the complex, highly branched morphology characteristic of terminally differentiated oligodendrocytes. These results indicate that modulation of protein kinase C activity by TPA induces a transient reversion of O4+ progenitors to less mature O4- cells, causing a transient inhibition of terminal differentiation. The relationship of these data to similar responses of the OL lineage to specific growth factors and implications for remyelination after pathologic injury are discussed.