In vivo expression of the Arf6 Guanine-nucleotide exchange factor cytohesin-1 in mice exhibits enhanced myelin thickness in nerves.

The myelin sheath consists of a unique multiple layer structure that acts as an insulator between neuronal axons to enhance the propagation of the action potential. In neuropathies such as demyelinating or dismyelinating diseases, chronic demyelination and defective remyelination occur repeatedly, leading to more severe neuropathy. As yet, little is known about the possibility of drug target-specific medicine for such diseases. In the developing peripheral nervous system (PNS), myelin sheaths form as Schwann cells wrap individual axons. It is thought that the development of a drug promoting myelination by Schwann cells would provide effective therapy against peripheral nerve disorders: to test such treatment, genetically modified mice overexpressing the drug target molecules are needed. We previously identified an Arf6 activator, the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor cytohesin-1, as the signaling molecule controlling myelination of peripheral axons by Schwann cells; yet, the important issue of whether cytohesin-1 itself promotes myelin thickness in vivo has remained unclear. Herein, we show that, in mouse PNS nerves, Schwann cell-specific expression of wild-type cytohesin-1 exhibits enhanced myelin thickness. Downstream activation of Arf6 is also seen in these transgenic mice, revealing the involvement of the cytohesin-1 and Arf6 signaling unit in promoting myelination. These results suggest that cytohesin-1 may be a candidate for the basis of a therapy for peripheral neuropathies through its enhancement of myelin thickness.