LoPresti P, Szuchet S, Papasozomenos S C, Zinkowski R P, Binder L I
Molecular Geriatrics Corporation, Lake Bluff, IL 60044, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Oct 24;92(22):10369-73. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.22.10369.
We present evidence that the microtubule-associated protein tau is present in oligodendrocytes (OLGs), the central nervous system cells that make myelin. By showing that tau is distributed in a pattern similar to that of myelin basic protein, our results suggest a possible involvement of tau in some aspect of myelination. Tau protein has been identified in OLGs in situ and in vitro. In interfascicular OLGs, tau localization, revealed by monoclonal antibody Tau-5, was confined to the cell somata. However, in cultured ovine OLGs with an exuberant network of processes, tau was detected in cell somata, cellular processes, and membrane expansions at the tips of these processes. Moreover, in such cultures, tau appeared localized adjacent to or coincident with myelin basic protein in membrane expansions along and at the ends of the cellular processes. The presence of tau mRNA was documented using fluorescence in situ hybridization. The distribution of the tau mRNA was similar to that of the tau protein. Western blot analysis of cultured OLGs showed the presence of many tau isoforms. Together, these results demonstrate that tau is a genuine oligodendrocyte protein and pave the way for determining its functional role in these cells.
我们提供证据表明，微管相关蛋白tau存在于少突胶质细胞（OLGs）中，少突胶质细胞是中枢神经系统中产生髓磷脂的细胞。通过表明tau的分布模式与髓磷脂碱性蛋白相似，我们的结果提示tau可能参与了髓鞘形成的某些方面。已在原位和体外的少突胶质细胞中鉴定出tau蛋白。在束间少突胶质细胞中，单克隆抗体Tau-5显示的tau定位局限于细胞体。然而，在具有丰富突起网络的培养绵羊少突胶质细胞中，在细胞体、细胞突起以及这些突起末端的膜扩张中检测到了tau。此外，在这样的培养物中，tau似乎沿着细胞突起及其末端在膜扩张中与髓磷脂碱性蛋白相邻定位或与之重合。使用荧光原位杂交记录了tau mRNA的存在。tau mRNA的分布与tau蛋白相似。对培养的少突胶质细胞进行的蛋白质免疫印迹分析显示存在许多tau异构体。总之，这些结果表明tau是一种真正的少突胶质细胞蛋白，并为确定其在这些细胞中的功能作用铺平了道路。
