title: Progesterone and the oligodendroglial lineage: stage-dependent biosynthesis and metabolism.
abstract: Evidence has been accumulated showing that neurosteroids, particularly progesterone (PROG) and its metabolites, may participate in myelination and remyelination in the peripheral nervous system, but very few studies have been undertaken in the central nervous system (CNS). The aim of this work was to investigate the capacities of synthesis and metabolism of PROG at three important stages of the oligodendroglial lineage: oligodendrocyte pre-progenitors (OPP), oligodendrocyte progenitors (OP), and fully differentiated oligodendrocytes (OL). Experiments have been conducted in vitro using highly purified primary cell cultures from rat brain. Cells were incubated with (3)H-pregnenolone ((3)H-PREG), the immediate precursor of PROG, or with (3)H-PROG, and steroids metabolites were then identified by thin layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). mRNA expression of key steroidogenic enzymes was evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that only OPP and OP, but not OL, expressed 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/Delta 5-Delta 4 isomerase mRNA and were able to synthesize PROG from PREG. In the three cell types studied, PROG was metabolized by the type 1 isoform of 5 alpha-reductase into 5 alpha-dihydroprogesterone (5 alpha-DHPROG). This enzyme exhibited a 5-fold higher activity in OL than in OPP and OP. 5 alpha-DHPROG was further transformed either into 3 alpha,5 alpha-tetrahydroprogesterone (3 alpha,5 alpha-THPROG), known as a positive allosteric modulator of the GABA(A) receptor, or into the 3 beta-isomer. The 3 alpha,5 alpha-THPROG synthesis was 10 times higher in OPP than in the other cell studied, while the 3 beta,5 alpha-THPROG production did not change with cell differentiation. PROG synthesis and metabolism and the dramatic changes in neurosteroidogenesis observed during the oligodendroglial differentiation may contribute to oligodendrocyte development or the myelination process.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 488, Bicêtre, France. gago@kb.inserm.fr
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gago
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akwa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sananès
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guennoun
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Baulieu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Etr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schumacher
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053331:Ectodysplasins; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005699:Galactosylceramides / Q000378:metabolism; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000378:metabolism; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017628:Microglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D053331:Ectodysplasins; D005699:Galactosylceramides; D005732:Gangliosides; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D012794:Sialic Acids; C002454:galactocerebroside; C103469:polysialyl neural cell adhesion molecule; D011374:Progesterone; C026226:ganglioside, GD3