Nr. Bhat et al., THE EXPRESSION OF MYRISTOYLATED ALANINE-RICH C-KINASE SUBSTRATE IN OLIGODENDROCYTES IS DEVELOPMENTALLY-REGULATED, Developmental neuroscience, 17(4), 1995, pp. 256-263
Myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS), a major substr
ate of activated protein kinase C (PKC), is thought to be involved in
PKC-mediated signal transduction events. In the present study, we have
examined the expression of MARCKS in primary cultures of rat glial ce
lls. Western blot analysis of different glial cell types (i.e., astroc
ytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia) revealed a relatively high level
of MARCKS protein in oligodendrocytes. MARCKS protein and MARCKS mRNA
levels in oligodendrocytes increased with time in culture, indicating
a developmental regulation in MARCKS gene expression in differentiati
ng oligodendrocytes. Immunocytochemical examination of developing olig
odendrocytes indicated a strong labeling of MARCKS distributed both in
the cell body and in the lacy network of processes. These findings, i
n concert with our previous observations on the role of PKC in oligode
ndrogenesis, strongly implicate a PKC-signaling system in oligodendroc
yte development.