U. Bartsch et al., TENASCIN DEMARCATES THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE MYELINATED AND NONMYELINATED PART OF RETINAL GANGLION-CELL AXONE IN THE DEVELOPING AND ADULT-MOUSE, The Journal of neuroscience, 14(8), 1994, pp. 4756-4768
The molecular determinants controlling the topographically restricted
distribution of neural cells in the mammalian CNS are largely unknown.
In the mouse, myelin-forming oligodendrocytes are differentially dist
ributed along retinal ganglion cell axons. These axons are myelin free
intraretinally and in the most proximal (i.e., retinal) part of the o
ptic nerve, but become myelinated in the distal (i.e., chiasmal) part
of the optic nerve. Tenascin protein and mRNA are detectable in increa
sed amounts at the retinal end of the developing optic nerve before th
e arrival of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and are restricted to th
is region in the adult optic nerve. Tenascin is a nonadhesive substrat
e for oligodendrocytes and their progenitor cells in vitro when offere
d as a substrate in choice with polyornithine. These observations sugg
est that tenascin is critical for the establishment and maintenance of
the restricted distribution of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes along
retinal ganglion cell axons of the mouse.