The function of the Periaxin gene during nerve repair in a model of CMT4F

J Anat. 2002 Apr;200(4):323-30. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2002.00038.x.

Abstract

Mutations in the Periaxin (PRX) gene are known to cause autosomal recessive demyelinating Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT4F) and Dejerine-Sottas disease. The pathogenesis of these diseases is not fully understood. However, progress is being made by studying both the periaxin-null mouse, a mouse model of the disease, and the protein-protein interactions of periaxin. L-periaxin is a constituent of the dystroglycan-dystrophin-related protein-2 complex linking the Schwann cell cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. Although periaxin-null mice myelinate normally, they develop a demyelinating peripheral neuropathy later in life. This suggests that periaxin is required for the stable maintenance of a normal myelin sheath. We carried out sciatic nerve crushes in 6-week-old periaxin-null mice, and, 6 weeks later, found that although the number of myelinated axons had returned to normal, the axon diameters remained smaller than in the contralateral uncrushed nerve. Not only do periaxin-null mice have more hyper-myelinated axons than their wild-type counterparts but they also recapitulate this hypermyelination during regeneration. Therefore, periaxin-null mice can undergo peripheral nerve remyelination, but the regulation of peripheral myelin thickness is disrupted.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Axons / pathology
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease / genetics*
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease / pathology
  • Extracellular Matrix / pathology
  • Gene Deletion
  • Humans
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Models, Animal
  • Myelin Sheath / pathology
  • Nerve Regeneration / genetics*
  • Sciatic Nerve / injuries
  • Sciatic Nerve / pathology

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • periaxin