Peripheral myelin protein 22 is expressed in human central nervous system

We studied the expression of peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene in the human central nervous system (CNS). Northern blot analysis was performed with polyA+ RNA blots containing several parts of the human brain and the spinal cord using human PMP22 cDNA as a probe. As two alternative PMP22 transcripts have been reported and since exon 1A-containing transcripts are associated with myelin formation, the exon 1A fragment was also used to examine this transcript. Total PMP22 mRNA was significantly detected in most parts of brain and spinal cord, while exon 1A-containing transcripts were detected in the medulla, spinal cord and corpus callosum. PMP22-like immunoreactivity was identified in motor neurons and preganglionic sympathetic neurons in the spinal cord. PMP22 was also detected in pia mater of the spinal cord. These results suggest that PMP22 might play an important role in human CNS.