Association of microtubules and axonal RNA transferred from myelinating Schwann cells in rat sciatic nerve

Schwann Cells as Orchestrators of Nerve Repair: Implications for Tissue Regeneration and Pathologies

Peripheral nerves exist in a stable state in adulthood providing a rapid bidirectional signaling system to control tissue structure and function. However, following injury, peripheral nerves can regenerate much more effectively than those of the central nervous system (CNS). This multicellular process is coordinated by peripheral glia, in particular Schwann cells, which have multiple roles in stimulating and nurturing the regrowth of damaged axons back to their targets. Aside from the repair of damaged nerves themselves, nerve regenerative processes have been linked to the repair of other tissues and de novo innervation appears important in establishing an environment conducive for the development and spread of tumors. In contrast, defects in these processes are linked to neuropathies, aging, and pain. In this review, we focus on the role of peripheral glia, especially Schwann cells, in multiple aspects of nerve regeneration and discuss how these findings may be relevant for pathologies associated with these processes.

Local translation in primary afferents and its contribution to pain

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain remains a significant problem due to its prevalence, impact, and limited therapeutic options. Progress in addressing chronic pain is dependent on a better understanding of underlying mechanisms. Although the available evidence suggests that changes within the central nervous system contribute to the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain, it also suggests that the primary afferent plays a critical role in all phases of the manifestation of chronic pain in most of those who suffer. Most notable among the changes in primary afferents is an increase in excitability or sensitization. A number of mechanisms have been identified that contribute to primary afferent sensitization with evidence for both increases in pronociceptive signaling molecules, such as voltage-gated sodium channels, and decreases in antinociceptive signaling molecules, such as voltage-dependent or calcium-dependent potassium channels. Furthermore, these changes in signaling molecules seem to reflect changes in gene expression as well as posttranslational processing. A mechanism of sensitization that has received far less attention, however, is the local or axonal translation of these signaling molecules. A growing body of evidence indicates that this process not only is dynamically regulated but also contributes to the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain. Here, we review the biology of local translation in primary afferents and its relevance to pain pathobiology.

Age-dependent increase of cytoskeletal components in sensory axons in human skin

Aging is a complex process characterized by several molecular and cellular imbalances. The composition and stability of the neuronal cytoskeleton is essential for the maintenance of homeostasis, especially in long neurites. Using human skin biopsies containing sensory axons from a cohort of healthy individuals, we investigate alterations in cytoskeletal content and sensory axon caliber during aging via quantitative immunostainings. Cytoskeletal components show an increase with aging in both sexes, while elevation in axon diameter is only evident in males. Transcriptomic data from aging males illustrate various patterns in gene expression during aging. Together, the data suggest gender-specific changes during aging in peripheral sensory axons, possibly influencing cytoskeletal functionality and axonal caliber. These changes may cumulatively increase susceptibility of aged individuals to neurodegenerative diseases.

Functional Genomics of Axons and Synapses to Understand Neurodegenerative Diseases

Functional genomics studies through transcriptomics, translatomics and proteomics have become increasingly important tools to understand the molecular basis of biological systems in the last decade. In most cases, when these approaches are applied to the nervous system, they are centered in cell bodies or somatodendritic compartments, as these are easier to isolate and, at least in vitro, contain most of the mRNA and proteins present in all neuronal compartments. However, key functional processes and many neuronal disorders are initiated by changes occurring far away from cell bodies, particularly in axons (axopathologies) and synapses (synaptopathies). Both neuronal compartments contain specific RNAs and proteins, which are known to vary depending on their anatomical distribution, developmental stage and function, and thus form the complex network of molecular pathways required for neuron connectivity. Modifications in these components due to metabolic, environmental, and/or genetic issues could trigger or exacerbate a neuronal disease. For this reason, detailed profiling and functional understanding of the precise changes in these compartments may thus yield new insights into the still intractable molecular basis of most neuronal disorders. In the case of synaptic dysfunctions or synaptopathies, they contribute to dozens of diseases in the human brain including neurodevelopmental (i.e., autism, Down syndrome, and epilepsy) as well as neurodegenerative disorders (i.e., Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases). Histological, biochemical, cellular, and general molecular biology techniques have been key in understanding these pathologies. Now, the growing number of omics approaches can add significant extra information at a high and wide resolution level and, used effectively, can lead to novel and insightful interpretations of the biological processes at play. This review describes current approaches that use transcriptomics, translatomics and proteomic related methods to analyze the axon and presynaptic elements, focusing on the relationship that axon and synapses have with neurodegenerative diseases.

Central Alteration in Peripheral Neuropathy of Trembler-J Mice: Hippocampal pmp22 Expression and Behavioral Profile in Anxiety Tests

Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) type 1 disease is the most common human hereditary demyelinating neuropathy. Mutations in pmp22 cause about 70% of all CMT1. Trembler-J (TrJ/+) mice are an animal model of CMT1E, having the same spontaneous pmp22 mutation that is found in humans. We compared the behavior profile of TrJ/+ and +/+ (wild-type) in open-field and elevated-plus-maze anxiety tests. In these tests, TrJ/+ showed an exclusive head shake movement, a lower frequency of rearing, but a greater frequency of grooming. In elevated-plus-maze, TrJ/+ defecate more frequently, performed fewer total entries, and have fewer entries to closed arms. These hippocampus-associated behaviors in TrJ/+ are consistent with increased anxiety levels. The expression of pmp22 and soluble PMP22 were evaluated in E17-hippocampal neurons and adult hippocampus by in situ hybridization and successive immunohistochemistry. Likewise, the expression of pmp22 was confirmed by RT-qPCR in the entire isolated hippocampi of both genotypes. Moreover, the presence of aggregated PMP22 was evidenced in unmasked granular hippocampal adult neurons and shows genotypic differences. We showed for the first time a behavior profile trait associated with anxiety and a differential expression of pmp22/PMP22 in hippocampal neurons of TrJ/+ and +/+ mice, demonstrating the involvement at the central level in an animal model of peripheral neuropathy (CMT1E).

Presynaptic protein synthesis and brain plasticity: From physiology to neuropathology

To form and maintain extremely intricate and functional neural circuitry, mammalian neurons are typically endowed with highly arborized dendrites and a long axon. The synapses that link neurons to neurons or to other cells are numerous and often too remote for the cell body to make and deliver new proteins to the right place in time. Moreover, synapses undergo continuous activity-dependent changes in their number and strength, establishing the basis of neural plasticity. The innate dilemma is then how a highly complex neuron provides new proteins for its cytoplasmic periphery and individual synapses to support synaptic plasticity. Here, we review a growing body of evidence that local protein synthesis in discrete sites of the axon and presynaptic terminals plays crucial roles in synaptic plasticity, and that deregulation of this local translation system is implicated in various pathologies of the nervous system.

Rat Sciatic Nerve Axoplasm Proteome Is Enriched with Ribosomal Proteins during Regeneration Processes

Axons are complex subcellular compartments that are extremely long in relation to cell bodies, especially in peripheral nerves. Many processes are required and regulated during axon injury, including anterograde and retrograde transport, glia-to-axon macromolecular transfer, and local axonal protein synthesis. Many in vitro omics approaches have been used to gain insight into these processes, but few have been applied in vivo. Here we adapted the osmotic ex vivo axoplasm isolation method and analyzed the adult rat sciatic-nerve-extruded axoplasm by label-free quantitative proteomics before and after injury. 2087 proteins groups were detected in the axoplasm, revealing translation machinery and microtubule-associated proteins as the most overrepresented biological processes. Ribosomal proteins (73) were detected in the uninjured axoplasm and increased their levels after injury but not within whole sciatic nerves. Meta-analysis showed that detected ribosomal proteins were present in in vitro axonal proteomes. Because local protein synthesis is important for protein localization, we were interested in detecting the most abundant newly synthesized axonal proteins in vivo. With an MS/MS-BONCAT approach, we detected 42 newly synthesized protein groups. Overall, our work indicates that proteomics profiling is useful for local axonal interrogation and suggests that ribosomal proteins may play an important role, especially during injury.

The functional organization of axonal mRNA transport and translation

Axons extend for tremendously long distances from the neuronal soma and make use of localized mRNA translation to rapidly respond to different extracellular stimuli and physiological states. The locally synthesized proteins support many different functions in both developing and mature axons, raising questions about the mechanisms by which local translation is organized to ensure the appropriate responses to specific stimuli. Publications over the past few years have uncovered new mechanisms for regulating the axonal transport and localized translation of mRNAs, with several of these pathways converging on the regulation of cohorts of functionally related mRNAs - known as RNA regulons - that drive axon growth, axon guidance, injury responses, axon survival and even axonal mitochondrial function. Recent advances point to these different regulatory pathways as organizing platforms that allow the axon's proteome to be modulated to meet its physiological needs.

Cross Talk at the Cytoskeleton-Plasma Membrane Interface: Impact on Neuronal Morphology and Functions

The cytoskeleton and its associated proteins present at the plasma membrane not only determine the cell shape but also modulate important aspects of cell physiology such as intracellular transport including secretory and endocytic pathways. Continuous remodeling of the cell structure and intense communication with extracellular environment heavily depend on interactions between cytoskeletal elements and plasma membrane. This review focuses on the plasma membrane-cytoskeleton interface in neurons, with a special emphasis on the axon and nerve endings. We discuss the interaction between the cytoskeleton and membrane mainly in two emerging topics of neurobiology: (i) production and release of extracellular vesicles and (ii) local synthesis of new proteins at the synapses upon signaling cues. Both of these events contribute to synaptic plasticity. Our review provides new insights into the physiological and pathological significance of the cytoskeleton-membrane interface in the nervous system.