“Presence of the mRNA of Transferrin during the physiological maturation of Schwann cells and after the peripheral nerve injury” .

SALIS C, SOTO EF, SETTON-AVRUJ CP, PASQUINI JM.; EF SOTO; SETTON-AVRUJ CP; PASQUINI JM

Pinamar, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Congreso; 10th Congress de la Panamerican Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. XLI Reunión anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular. XX Reunión anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Neuroquímica.; 2005

  PRESENCE OF THE mRNA OF TRANSFERRIN (Tf) DURING  THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MATURATION OF SCHWANN CELLS AND AFTER PERIPHERAL NERVE INJURY. C. Salis, EF Soto, CP Setton-Avruj, JM Pasquini. Department of Biochemical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires-ARGENTINA. E-mail: carosalis@ffyb.uba.ar Tf is an iron carrier protein playing a key role in cell metabolic activity that is regarded as a growth, survival and differentiation factor. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the presence of the mRNA of Tf in the sciatic nerves and in isolated Schwann cells (SCs) during their physiological maturation and in Wallerian degeneration. The presence of Tf mRNA was evaluated by Northern blot in sciatic nerves from 15 day old rat embryos (E15) and from 4 day old rats (P4). In SCs isolated from embryos and from crushed sciatic nerves, the presence of the mRNA of Tf was evaluated by RT-PCR. The levels of myelin proteins such as MBP and P0, and of p75NTR, a marker of immature and non myelinated SCs, was studied. We  demonstrate for the first time that the mRNA of Tf is present in sciatic nerves at E15, when the nerve is still immature, while it is absent in the postnatal period. The presence of the mRNA of MBP and P0 correlate inversely with the expression of the Tf mRNA. In crushed sciatic nerves, the Tf mRNA appears at 3 and 5 days while it´s absent at 7 and 14 days post injury. These results strongly suggest that Tf may play an important role at  early stages of SC maturation, as well as in the first days after sciatic nerve injury. Whether the modulation of Tf expression may be used therapeutically in peripheral neuropathies remains to be studied.