The growth arrest-specific gene product Gas6 promotes the survival of human oligodendrocytes via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathway.

ABSTRACT: Microarray analysis revealed that transcripts for the Axl and Mer receptor tyrosine kinases are expressed at high levels in O4+-immunopanned oligodendrocytes isolated from second trimester human fetal spinal cord. In humans the sole known ligand for the Axl/Rse/Mer kinases is growth arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6), which in the CNS is secreted by neurons and endothelial cells. We hypothesized that Gas6 is a survival factor for oligodendrocytes and receptor activation signals downstream to the phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3)-kinase/Akt pathway to increase cell survival in the absence of cell proliferation. To test this hypothesis, we grew enriched human oligodendrocytes for 6 d on a monolayer of NIH3T3 cells stably expressing Gas6. CNP+ oligodendrocytes on Gas6-secreting 3T3 cells had more prima

SUBMITTER: Shankar SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6741089 | biostudies-literature | 2003 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature