Does Paranode Formation and Maintenance Require Partitioning of Neurofascin 155 into Lipid Rafts?

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5427-03.2004
• Publication Date: 2004-03-31T20:47:59Z
• Authors: Dorothy P. Schafer; Rashmi Bansal; Kristian L. Hedstrom; Steven E. Pfeiffer; Matthew N. Rasband
• Keywords: Lipid raft; Raft

Paranodal axoglial junctions in myelinated nerve fibers are essential for efficient action potential conduction and ion channel clustering. We show here that, the mature CNS, a fraction of oligodendroglial 155 kDa isoform neurofascin (NF-155), major constituent paranodal junctions, has key biochemical characteristics lipid raft-associated protein. However, despite its robust expression, NF-155 is detergent soluble before paranodes form purified oligodendrocyte cell cultures. Only during progressive localization to (1) associated with detergent-insoluble complexes that float at increasingly lower densities sucrose (2) retained situ after treatment. Finally, mutant animals disrupted including those lacking specific myelin lipids, have significantly reduced levels NF-155. Together, these results suggest trans interactions between axonal ligands result cross-linking, stabilization, formation raft assemblies.