Involvement of Upregulated SYF2 in Schwann Cell Differentiation and Migration After Sciatic Nerve Crush

• Published in: Cellular and molecular neurobiology Vol. 34; no. 7; pp. 1023 - 1036
• Main Authors: Zhou, Zhengming, Liu, Yang, Nie, Xiaoke, Cao, Jianhua, Zhu, Xiaojian, Yao, Li, Zhang, Weidong, Yu, Jiang, Wu, Gang, Liu, Yonghua, Yang, Huiguang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.10.2014
• Subjects: Animals; Biomarkers - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Blotting, Western; CD11b Antigen - metabolism; Cell Biology; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell Movement - drug effects; Cyclic AMP - pharmacology; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Models, Biological; Nerve Crush; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Nuclear Proteins - metabolism; Octamer Transcription Factor-6 - metabolism; Original Research; Phenotype; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism; Schwann Cells - drug effects; Schwann Cells - metabolism; Schwann Cells - pathology; Sciatic Nerve - pathology; Tubulin - metabolism; Up-Regulation - drug effects; α-Tubulin; Sciatic nerve crush; Differentiation; SYF2; Migration; Schwann cells
• ISSN: 0272-4340; 1573-6830; 1573-6830
• DOI: 10.1007/s10571-014-0078-1

SYF2 is a putative homolog of human p29 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae . It seems to be involved in pre-mRNA splicing and cell cycle progression. Disruption of SYF2 leads to reduced α-tubulin expression and delayed nerve system development in zebrafish. Due to the potential of SYF2 in modulating microtubule dynamics in nervous system, we investigated the spatiotemporal expression of SYF2 in a rat sciatic nerve crush (SNC) model. We found that SNC resulted in a significant upregulation of SYF2 from 3 days to 1 week and subsequently returned to the normal level at 4 weeks. At its peak expression, SYF2 distributed predominantly in Schwann cells. In addition, upregulation of SYF2 was approximately in parallel with Oct-6, and numerous Schwann cells expressing SYF2 were Oct-6 positive. In vitro, we observed enhanced expression of SYF2 during the process of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-induced Schwann cell differentiation. SYF2-specific siRNA-transfected Schwann cells did not show significant morphological change in the process of Schwann cell differentiation. Also, we found shorter and disorganized microtubule structure and a decreased migration in SYF2-specific siRNA-transfected Schwann cells. Together, these findings indicated that the upregulation of SYF2 was associated with Schwann cell differentiation and migration following sciatic nerve crush.