Adult motor neurons show increased susceptibility to axotomy-induced death in mice lacking clusterin.
Clusterin is a highly conserved, amphiphatic glycoprotein present in most tissues. It has been shown to be involved in the regulation of lipid transportation, clearance of cellular debris from the extracellular space and intracellular signal transduction. Clusterin is markedly up-regulated after neural injury but the functional significance of this response is unclear. Here, we show that clusterin up-regulation is substantially greater in hypoglossal motor neurons after hypoglossal nerve avulsion compared with nerve transection. Quantitative analyses of motor neuron numbers after the same lesions in clusterin(-/-) and clusterin(+/+) mice showed significantly larger numbers of surviving motor neurons in clusterin(+/+) mice. These results suggest that clusterin has a neuroprotective role after axotomy.
Wicher
Grzegorz K
GK
Department of Neuroscience, Division of Neuroanatomy, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, PO Box 587, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden. Grzegorz.Wicher@neuro.uu.se
Aldskogius
Håkan
H
D000818:Animals; D019771:Axotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D016923:Cell Death; D051152:Clusterin; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000172:deficiency*; D007002:Hypoglossal Nerve / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors
C495243:Clu protein, mouse; D051152:Clusterin; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones