Nestin regulates neural stem cell migration via controlling the cell contractility

Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2016 Sep:78:349-360. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2016.07.034. Epub 2016 Jul 28.

Abstract

Neural stem cells (NSCs) migration is essential for neurogenesis and neuroregeneration after brain injury. Nestin, a widely used marker of NSCs, is expressed abundantly in several cancers, where it may correlate with tumor migration and invasion. However, it is not yet known whether nestin participates in NSC migration. Here, we show that nestin down-regulation significantly inhibits the migration and contraction of murine neural stem cells, but does not obviously influence the proliferation, filamentous actin (F-actin) content, distribution or focal adhesion assembly of these cells. Mechanistically, nestin knockdown was found to affect the phosphorylation state of myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) and regulate the activity of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that it interacts with MLCK and MRLC. Together, our results indicate that nestin may increase NSC motility via elevating MLCK activity through direct binding and provide new insight into the roles of nestin in NSC migration and repair.

Keywords: Contraction; Migration; Myosin light chain kinase; Nestin; Neural stem cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Movement*
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Mechanical Phenomena*
  • Mice
  • Myosin Light Chains / metabolism
  • Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase / metabolism
  • Nestin / deficiency
  • Nestin / genetics
  • Nestin / metabolism*
  • Neural Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Neural Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Myosin Light Chains
  • Nestin
  • Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins