Oligodendrocyte survival and differentiation control by galectins 1 y 3.

PASQUINI LA, MOIOLA CP, SOTO E, RABINOVICH G AND PASQUINI JM

Cancun, México

Congreso; 21th Biennal Meeting. Internatioanal Society for Neurochemistry and American Society for Neurochemistry; 2007

Internatioanal Society for Neurochemistry and American Society for Neurochemistry

Galectins are a family of lectins philogenetically conserved and defined as a shred consensus sequence and a carbohydrate recognition domain responsible for the binding to b-galactosidase. Until present, it has been described 10 different subfamilies localized in an extensive number of species and tissues which have been clasified according to their biochemical structure.Their extensive distribution in nature and their conserved aminoacidic sequences through evolution, suggest that these proteins could perform essential physiological roles.In the present investigation we focus basically on the biological effects of Gal-1 and Gal-3 on oligodendroglial cell (OLGc) survival and differentiation. Our results in OLGc primary cultures show that there is an increase in the expression of  Gal-3 during OLGc maturation and that treatment of the cultures with recombinant Gal-3 produces a significant increase in MBP+ cells as well as a decrease in the number of  A2B5+ cells. Contrarywise recombinant Gal-1 added to OLGc cultures produce a diminished expression  of the different MBP isoforms. Finally analysis of the levels of the different MBP mRNAs and MBP isoforms in Gal-1 knock out mice during the myelination period showed no changes in these parameters compared with those observed in wild type control mice.