The remarkable feature of Schwann cells (SCs) to transform into a repair phenotype turned the spotlight on this powerful cell type. SCs provide the regenerative environment for axonal re-growth after peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and play a vital role in differentiation of neuroblastic tumors into a benign subtype of neuroblastoma, a tumor originating from neural crest-derived neuroblasts. Hence, understanding their mode-of-action is of utmost interest for new approaches in regenerative medicine, but also for neuroblastoma therapy. However, literature on human SCs is scarce and it is unknown to which extent human SC cultures reflect the SC repair phenotype developing after PNI in patients. We performed high-resolution proteome profiling and RNA-sequencing on highly enriched human SC and fibroblast cultures, control and ex vivo degenerated nerve explants to identify novel molecules and functional processes active in repair SCs. In fact, we found cultured SCs and degenerated nerves to share a similar repair SC-associated expression signature, including the upregulation of JUN, as well as two prominent functions, i.e., myelin debris clearance and antigen presentation via MHCII. In addition to myelin degradation, cultured SCs were capable of actively taking up cell-extrinsic components in functional phagocytosis and co-cultivation assays. Moreover, in cultured SCs and degenerated nerve tissue MHCII was upregulated at the cellular level along with high expression of chemoattractants and co-inhibitory rather than -stimulatory molecules. These results demonstrate human SC cultures to execute an inherent program of nerve repair and support two novel repair SC functions, debris clearance via phagocytosis-related mechanisms and type II immune-regulation. Overall design: mRNA of 27 samples were sequenced (50bp, single end) and analyzed. Biological replicates were performed.
Proteomics and transcriptomics of peripheral nerve tissue and cells unravel new aspects of the human Schwann cell repair phenotype.
Subject
View SamplesSmall molecule splicing modifiers have been extensively described which target the generic splicing machinery and thus have low target specificity. We have identified potent splicing modifiers with unprecedented high selectively, correcting the splicing deficit of the SMN2 (survival motor neuron 2) gene in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Here we show that they directly bind to two sites of the SMN2 pre-mRNA, thereby stabilizing a novel ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex in the SMN2 gene that is critical for the high target specificity of these small molecules over other genes. In addition to the therapeutic potential of these molecules for treatment of SMA, our work may have wide-ranging consequences for further research to identify small molecules that target splicing correction of specific genes by interacting with tertiary RNA structures. Overall design: mRNA profiling of type I SMA fibroblasts treated with NVS-SM1
Binding to SMN2 pre-mRNA-protein complex elicits specificity for small molecule splicing modifiers.
Treatment, Subject
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