Antisense MAP-2 oligonucleotides induce changes in microtubule assembly and neuritic elongation in pre-existing neurites of rat cortical neurons.
Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) is an abundant component of the cytoskeleton present in dendrites and cell bodies of neurons of the CNS. To examine the biological function of MAP-2, two MAP-2 antisense (AS) oligonucleotides complementary to the 5' region of the rat MAP-2 cDNA were added to rat primary embryonic day 17-18 (E17-18) cultured cortical neurons 24 h after plating and neurite outgrowth and morphology studied. The treatment of primary cortical cultures with either of the two MAP-2 AS oligonucleotides resulted in decreased MAP-2 and reduction in the number of neuritic processes relative to the control or MAP-2 sense-treated cultures. By immunostaining and light microscopy the AS-treated neurons appeared smaller, more rounded, and less intensely stained for MAP-2 than the untreated or the MAP-2 sense-treated cultures. By electron microscopy disorganized microtubules and a reduction in the number of microtubules within neurites of the AS-treated cultures were observed. We conclude that MAP-2 continues to be required for microtubule spacing and stability within neurites once they have formed.
Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461.
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N
Sharma
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Y
Kress
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B
Shafit-Zagardo
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology; D016373:DNA, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D016373:DNA, Antisense; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins