The aim of this project is to exploit these features of cultured glia cells to try to model the secretion of alpha crystallin into myelin as observed in MS lesions. The behaviour of alpha crystallin in insect cells e.g. its ability to confer heat tolerance and the migration of cytoplasmic alpha crystallin to the perinuclear region during stress will be compared to that previously observed in mammalian cells. Alpha Crystallin may be found associated with the actin filaments in such cells. The aim of this project is to purify the actin filaments from such cells and use cross-linking agents, proteolytic digests and peptide sequencing to attempt to identify the sites of interaction between alpha crystallin and actin. The Wolfson Laboratory School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, University of Reading Immunocytochemical staining of a cultured rat glial cell after osmotic shock and stimulation with non-myelinated rat neurones.
Blue patches indicate areas where alpha crystallin has colocalised with myelin.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 271, 28558-566. Biochemical Journal 297, 653-654.