title: Effects of A23187 in cultures containing only rat Schwann cells and sensory neurons.
abstract: Serum from approximately 40% of patients with the acute Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) selectively destroys myelin and myelin-related Schwann cells in cultures containing only rat dorsal root ganglion neurons and Schwann cells. To determine if the effects of GBS serum on myelin and myelin-related Schwann cells could be mediated through elevations in the intracellular concentration of calcium ions, we compared the effects of cytotoxic serum to A23187, a divalent cation ionophore. Both myelin- and nonmyelin-related Schwann cells were killed along with neurons in the presence of A23187 and extracellular calcium ions. Myelin sheaths also underwent vesicular disruption. The ultrastructural appearance of myelin and myelin-related Schwann cell lysis caused by A23187 were essentially identical to damage produced by GBS serum. These observations suggest that GBS serum factors might damage myelin and myelin-related Schwann cells in culture by an increase in myelin-related Schwann cell permeability to extracellular calcium ions. In contrast, A23187 causes necrosis of Schwann cells and neurons as well as myelin lysis by a nonselective increase in membrane permeability to extracellular calcium ions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs, John Cochran Medical Center St. Louis, MO.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Mithen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Birchem
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000001:Calcimycin; D004533:Egtazic Acid