Aa. Brown et al., Molecular organization of the nodal region is not altered in spontaneouslydiabetic BB-wistar rats, J NEUROSC R, 65(2), 2001, pp. 139-149
We examined the organization of the molecular components of the nodal regio
n in spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rats. frozen sections and teased fibe
rs from the sciatic nerves were immunostained for nodal (voltage-gated Nachannels, ankyrin(G), and ezrin), paranodal (contactin, Caspr, and neurofas
cin 155 kDa), and juxtaparanodal (Caspr2, the Shaker-type K+ channels Kv1.1
and Kv1.2, and their associated subunit Kv beta2) proteins. All of these p
roteins were properly localized in myelinated fibers from rats that had bee
n diabetic for 15-44 days, compared to age-matched, nondiabetic animals. Th
ese results demonstrate that the axonal membrane is not reorganized, so nod
al reorganization is not likely to be the cause of nerve conduction slowing
in this animal model of acute diabetes. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.