Identification of Tmem10 as a novel late-stage oligodendrocytes marker for detecting hypomyelination.

Oligodendrocytes ensheath axons to form compact insulating multilamellar structures known as myelin. Tmem10 is a novel type I transmembrane glycoprotein that is highly expressed in oligodendrocytes and whose biological function remains largely unknown. Furthermore, the expression pattern of Tmem10 remains a matter of some controversy. Given the inconsistency of its expression pattern and the lack of validated specific antibodies, Tmem10 is not widely accepted as a marker for mature oligodendrocytes. As a means to solve these problems and to aid future studies of oligodendrocyte-associated diseases, we have generated a highly specific Tmem10 antibody. Using this Tmem10 antibody, we clarify that Tmem10 protein is firstly expressed at 2 weeks in the postnatal mouse brain with age-related increase, only in the central nervous system (CNS). We also reveal that Tmem10 is expressed specifically in late stage oligodendrocytes and later than MAG, a late-stage myelin marker. Finally, we show that Tmem10 co-expresses with MOG- and MBP-positive myelin fibers and is dramatically reduced in a hypomyelination mouse model. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that Tmem10 can be used as a specific marker for myelinating oligodendrocytes and perhaps for the evaluation of myelination diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.

Citation

Wanxiang Jiang, Wanchun Yang, Weiwei Yang, Junyan Zhang, Dejiang Pang, Lingxue Gan, Liping Luo, Yingjun Fan, Yanhui Liu, Mina Chen. Identification of Tmem10 as a novel late-stage oligodendrocytes marker for detecting hypomyelination. International journal of biological sciences. 2013;10(1):33-42

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PMID: 24391449

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