The myelin sheath consists of a unique multiple layer structure that acts as an insulator between neuronal axons to enhance the propagation of the action potential. In neuropathies such as demyelinating or dismyelinating diseases, chronic demyelination and defective remyelination occur repeatedly, leading to more severe neuropathy. As yet, little is known about the possibility of drug target-specific medicine for such diseases. In the developing peripheral nervous system (PNS), myelin sheaths form as Schwann cells wrap individual axons. It is thought that the development of a drug promoting myelination by Schwann cells would provide effective therapy against peripheral nerve disorders: to test such treatment, genetically modified mice overexpressing the drug target molecules are needed. We previously identified an Arf6 activator, the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor cytohesin-1, as the signaling molecule controlling myelination of peripheral axons by Schwann cells; yet, the important issue of whether cytohesin-1 itself promotes myelin thickness in vivo has remained unclear. Herein, we show that, in mouse PNS nerves, Schwann cell-specific expression of wild-type cytohesin-1 exhibits enhanced myelin thickness. Downstream activation of Arf6 is also seen in these transgenic mice, revealing the involvement of the cytohesin-1 and Arf6 signaling unit in promoting myelination. These results suggest that cytohesin-1 may be a candidate for the basis of a therapy for peripheral neuropathies through its enhancement of myelin thickness.

In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) has been performed in Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VII (MPSVII) mice, but a lifelong engraftment of allogeneic donor cells has not been achieved. In this study, we sought to confirm a lifelong engraftment of allogeneic donor cells immunologically matched to the mother and to achieve partial rescue of phenotypes in the original MPSVII strain through IUHCT by intravenous injection. We performed in vitro fertilization in a MPSVII murine model and transferred affected embryos to ICR/B6-GFP surrogate mothers in cases where fetuses receiving IUHCT were all homozygous. Lineage-depleted cells from ICR/B6-GFP mice were injected intravenously at E14.5. Chimerism was confirmed by flow cytometry at 4 weeks after birth, and β-glucuronidase activity in serum and several phenotypes were assessed at 8 weeks of age or later. Donor cells in chimeric mice from ICR/B6-GFP mothers were detected at death, and were confirmed in several tissues including the brains of sacrificed chimeric mice. Although the serum enzyme activity of chimeric mice was extremely low, the engraftment rate of donor cells correlated with enzyme activity. Furthermore, improvement of bone structure and rescue of reproductive ability were confirmed in our limited preclinical study. We confirmed the lifelong engraftment of donor cells in an original immunocompetent MPSVII murine model using intravenous IUHCT with cells immunologically matched to the mother without myeloablation, and the improvement of several phenotypes.

During development of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Schwann cells (SCs) wrap individual axons to form myelin sheaths, which act as surrounding insulators and markedly enhance the propagation of the action potential. In peripheral neuropathies such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and inherited demyelinating Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease and diabetic neuropathies, chronic demyelination and defective remyelination are repeated, causing more severe neuropathies. It is thus thought that development of a drug that promotes proper myelination with minimal side effects could provide an effective therapy for these diseases. As yet, however, little is known about therapeutic target molecules and genetically-modified mice for testing such approaches. We previously cloned the dock7 gene and characterized Dock7 as the regulator controlling SC myelination; however, an important issue, whether knockdown of Dock7 specifically affects myelination by SCs but not leaves neurons unaffected, has remained unclear. Here, we generate newly-produced transgenic mice harboring short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting Dock7. We also describe that Dock7 shRNA transgenic mice exhibit enhanced myelin thickness without affecting axon thickness in sciatic nerves of the PNS, as reduced thickness of the axon diameter is the primary indicator of denatured neurons. Similarly, purified in vitro SC-neuronal cocultures established from transgenic mice exhibit an enhanced formation of myelin segments, suggesting that knockdown of Dock7 promotes myelination by SCs. Collectively, Dock7 knockdown specifically affects SC myelination in sciatic nerves, providing evidence that Dock7 may be a promising drug-target-specific molecules for developing a therapy for peripheral neuropathies that aims to enhance myelination.

No abstract