Rat oligodendroglia express c-met and focal adhesion kinase, protein tyrosine kinases implicated in regulating epithelial cell motility

Oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the central nervous system, aris e from a profilerating pool of motile progenitor cells. The proliferation a nd survival of these cells is dependent on signal transduction via several protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) including receptors for fibroblast growth f actor -2, the platelet-derived growth factor receptors and the neurotrophin receptor, trkC. We hypothesized that additional PTKs could also influence oligodendroglial development. Utilizing RTPCR, we amplified from post-natal day 6 rat oligodendroglia 17 distinct kinase domain sequences, 14 of which were not previously known to be expressed by oligodendroglia. Amongst the sequences identified were the c-met and Fak genes, whose protein products r egulate the motility of other epithelial cell types. Utilizing immunohistoc hemistry, we confirmed that both c-met and Fak are expressed by cultured ol igodendroglia, suggesting that these proteins could also be implicated in r egulating the motility of these cells. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science ireland Lt d. All rights reserved.