Ganglioside Synthesis and Transport in Regenerating Sensory Neurons of the Rat Sciatic Nerve
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-13-1989
Description
The sciatic nerves of rats were crushed with fine forceps and allowed to survive for 3 or 7 days, at which time the 5th lumbar dorsal root ganglion was injected with [3H]glucosamine. Animals were killed 18 h later and the nerves proximal and distal to the crush site were cut into 3 mm segments. Gangliosides were purified from these segments, and radioactivity was separately measured in gangliosides, neutral glycolipids and glycoprotein. For all 3 fractions, radioactivity was distributed similarly between the crush site the point of maximum axonal elongation. A second smaller peak of ganglioside radioactivity was seen to span a few segments immeidately distal to the point of maximum axonal elongation. We propose two possible explanation for this: (1) it represents ganglioside synthesis by Schwann cells (from blood-borne [3H]glucosamine) as part of the mitogenic response of these cells to the reappearance of axons; or (2) recently synthesized, transported gangliosides are released from the growth cone and taken up by adjacent mitogenic Schwann cells.
Citation Information
Yates, Allan J.; Warner, Jean K.; Stock, Susan M.; and McQuarrie, Irvine G.. 1989. Ganglioside Synthesis and Transport in Regenerating Sensory Neurons of the Rat Sciatic Nerve. Brain Research. Vol.479(2). 277-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(89)91629-6 PMID: 2466538 ISSN: 0006-8993