Anterograde axonal transport of endopeptidase 24.15 in rat sciatic nerves.
Axonal transport of endopeptidase 24.15 (EP24.15), a putative neuropeptide degrading-enzyme, was examined in the proximal, middle, and distal segments of rat sciatic nerves using a double ligation technique. At 48h after ligation, a significant amount of the axonal transport of EP24.15 activity was found in the proximal segment, while axonal transport of deamidase activity, a lysosomal enzyme, increased in both proximal and distal segments. Western blot analysis of EP24.15 showed that EP24.15 immunoreactivity in the proximal segment was 1.8-fold higher than that in the middle segment. The immunohistochemical analysis of the segments also showed an increase in the immunoreactive EP24.15 in the proximal segment in comparison with that in the middle segment. In the distal segment, no axonal transport of EP24.15 was found in all methods examined, indicating that EP24.15 is mainly transported by an anterograde axonal flow. These observations suggest that EP24.15 may be involved in the metabolism of neuropeptides in nerve terminals or synaptic clefts.
Yamamoto
Masaru
M
Laboratory of Natural Information Science, Graduate School of Integrated Science, Yokohama City University, 22-2 Seto, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0027, Japan.
Chikuma
Toshiyuki
T
Yamashita
Atsue
A
Yamaguchi
Mitsune
M
Hojo
Hiroshi
H
Ozeki
Yasuhiro
Y
Ahmed
Mahiuddin
M
Kato
Takeshi
T
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000201:enzymology*
D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C022510:thimet oligopeptidase