👤 Miroslav Nikolov

Upon spinal cord injury, axons attempting to regenerate need to overcome the repulsive actions of myelin-associated inhibitors, including the myelin-associated glycoprotein, Nogo-A, and the oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein. These inhibitors bind and signal through a neuronal receptor/co-receptor/transducer complex composed of NgR1, Lingo-1, and p75. Consequently, p75 is cleaved by alpha secretase followed by gamma-secretase, triggering downstream signaling that inhibits axonal regrowth. ADAM10 and ADAM17 are both known to function as alpha secretases in neurons. Here we show that ADAM17, and not ADAM10, is the alpha secretase that recognizes and cleaves p75, when it is a part of a 5-component neuron-myelin signaling complex comprising NgR1, Lingo-1, p75, GT1b, and a myelin inhibitor. Importantly, we demonstrate the ability of inhibitory anti-ADAM17 mAbs to abrogate the cleavage of p75 in a neuroblastoma-glioma cell line and reverse the neurite outgrowth inhibition by myelin-associated inhibitors. Show less

Histone H3 trimethylation of lysine 9 (H3K9me3) and proteins of the heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) family are hallmarks of heterochromatin, a state of compacted DNA essential for genome stability and long-term transcriptional silencing. The mechanisms by which H3K9me3 and HP1 contribute to chromatin condensation have been speculative and controversial. Here we demonstrate that human HP1β is a prototypic HP1 protein exemplifying most basal chromatin binding and effects. These are caused by dimeric and dynamic interaction with highly enriched H3K9me3 and are modulated by various electrostatic interfaces. HP1β bridges condensed chromatin, which we postulate stabilizes the compacted state. In agreement, HP1β genome-wide localization follows H3K9me3-enrichment and artificial bridging of chromatin fibres is sufficient for maintaining cellular heterochromatic conformation. Overall, our findings define a fundamental mechanism for chromatin higher order structural changes caused by HP1 proteins, which might contribute to the plastic nature of condensed chromatin. Show less

Upon spinal cord injury, the central nervous system axons are unable to regenerate, partially due to the repulsive action of myelin inhibitors, such as the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), Nogo-A and the oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp). These inhibitors bind and signal through a single receptor/co-receptor complex that comprises of NgR1/LINGO-1 and either p75 or TROY, triggering intracellular downstream signaling that impedes the re-growth of axons. Structure-function analysis of myelin inhibitors and their neuronal receptors, particularly the NgRs, have provided novel information regarding the molecular details of the inhibitor/receptor/co-receptor interactions. Structural and biochemical studies have revealed the architecture of many of these proteins and identified the molecular regions important for assembly of the inhibitory signaling complexes. It was also recently shown that gangliosides, such as GT1b, mediate receptor/co-receptor binding. In this review, we highlight these studies and summarize our current understanding of the multi-protein cell-surface complexes mediating inhibitory signaling events at the neuron/myelin interface. Show less

Upon spinal cord injury, the myelin inhibitors, including the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), Nogo-A and the oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp), bind to and signal via a single neuronal receptor/co-receptor complex comprising of Nogo receptor 1(NgR1)/LINGO-1 and p75 or TROY, impeding regeneration of injured axons. We employed a cell-free system to study the binding of NgR1 to its co-receptors and the myelin inhibitor Nogo-A, and show that gangliosides mediate the interaction of NgR1 with LINGO-1. Solid phase binding assays demonstrate that the sialic acid moieties of gangliosides and the stalk of NgR1 are the principal determinants of these molecular interactions. Moreover, the tripartite complex comprising of NgR1, LINGO-1 and ganglioside exhibits stronger binding to Nogo-A (Nogo-54) in the presence of p75, suggesting the gangliosides modulate the myelin inhibitor-receptor signaling. Show less