Justin
P. Rodriguez
2nd
Year Graduate Student
Department:
Neurobiology and Behavior
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Advisor:
Joel Levine
Abstract:
Title: The Effect of NG2 on the Migration of Oligodendrocyte
Precursor Cells
J.P. Rodriguez1, J.M. Levine2
1Program in Neuroscience & 2Department of Neuroscience and Behavior,
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are the progenitor cells that
give rise to the myelinating cells in the central nervous system. During
development, OPCs are highly motile cells. In chronically demyelinating
diseases such as multiple sclerosis; however, OPCs fail to migrate into
the core of the lesions where axons have lost their myelin sheath. OPCs
express NG2, a transmembrane chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan with a
large 2224 amino acid extracellular domain and a short intracellular
domain. NG2 is also expressed by invasive neoplasms, such as melanomas
and gliomas, where it is thought to regulate cell motility and morphology.
The extracellular domain of NG2 interacts with the extracellular matrix
and modulates the effects of soluble signaling molecules such as PDGF.
In endothelial cells, NG2 associates with α3β1-integrin promoting
integrin-dependant cell migration and morphogenesis. We are interested
in the role NG2 plays during the migration of OPCs during development
and in the context of chronic demyelination. Consistent with a role
in regulating cell shape and motility, we show crosslinking NG2 in OPCs
with a polyclonal antibody increases protein tyrosine phosphorylation,
arrests cell migration, and changes OPC morphology. We are currently
characterizing the roles NG2 plays in regulating OPC migration.
