The cellular and subcellular distributions of mRNAs encoding three myelin-specific proteins--myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP), and Po protein--were studied in tissue sections of developing rat nervous systems by in situ hybridization. The developmental appearance of these mRNAs closely paralleled the appearance of the proteins they encode as determined by immunocytochemistr...

A model, based on amino acid sequence data, is proposed for the organization of the myelin proteolipid in myelin membrane. The model has three distinctive features: three trans-membrane segments that traverse the lipid bilayer, two cis-membrane domains that enter and exit the same side of the membrane, and a highly charged segment resembling myelin basic protein on the cytoplasmic side of the m...

The past few years have seen a dramatic increase in our understanding, in molecular terms, of the involvement of the central nervous system proteolipid protein in myelinogenesis and X-linked genetic diseases. In addition, we have expanded our knowledge of the proteins that have been recruited into the vertebrate myelin membrane over the past 400 million years with the molecular cloning of sever...

Proteolipid protein (PLP) of central nervous system myelin is one of the most hydrophobic integral membrane proteins. It consists of a 276-residue-long polypeptide chain with five strongly hydrophobic sequences of 26, 30, 39, 12, and 36 residues, respectively, linked by highly charged hydrophilic sequences. Hyposmotically dissociated bovine myelin membranes were treated with trypsin. PLP was co...

Myelin, a multilamellar membrane surrounding nerve fibers of both the central and peripheral nervous systems, is derived from the plasma membrane of the oligodendrocyte (CNS) and Schwann cell (PNS). The chemical composition of myelin differs markedly from that of its progenitor membrane. In addition, the chemical composition of CNS myelin differs from that of PNS myelin. This review will be con...

We have prepared a lambda gt10 cDNA library with the mRNA isolated from fetal calf brains which were actively myelinating. Using two oligonucleotides made according to the known amino acid sequence of myelin proteolipid protein (PLP or lipophilin), we have isolated several cDNA clones for this major intrinsic membrane protein of myelin. One of these clones, designated as pLP1, is found to conta...