Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice
Published on: March 11, 2020
Glial hyaluronate-binding protein in dysmyelinating mice mutants: jimpy, quaking and shiverer
Abstract:
Cryostat sections of cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum and spinal cord from dysmyelinating mice mutants (quaking, jimpy and shiverer) and littermate controls were stained by indirect immunofluorescence with polyclonal antibodies to the glial hyaluronate-binding protein (GHAP), a brain-specific extracellular matrix glycoprotein produced by astrocytes. In normal mice, the distribution of GHAP was similar to that previously reported in human, calf, pig and dog. The antigen was mainly localized in white matter, the granular layer of the cerebellum being the main exception. No differences were observed between mutants and littermate controls, except that with both GHAP and glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies the glial framework was denser in the mutants, probably due to the reduction in myelin. The findings suggest that GHAP expression by astrocytes is not induced by myelination and that white matter astrocytes constitute a distinct glial population.
Insights
Glial hyaluronate-binding protein (GHAP) expression in astrocytes is independent of myelination. This study reveals white matter astrocytes are a distinct glial cell population.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Glial hyaluronate-binding protein (GHAP) is a brain-specific extracellular matrix glycoprotein produced by astrocytes.
- Its distribution in normal mammalian brains is primarily in white matter, with an exception in the granular layer of the cerebellum.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between GHAP expression and myelination in the central nervous system.
- To determine if GHAP expression is induced by the myelination process.
- To characterize white matter astrocytes as a distinct glial population.
Main Methods:
- Indirect immunofluorescence staining of cryostat sections from cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and spinal cord of dysmyelinating mouse mutants (quaking, jimpy, shiverer) and littermate controls.
- Utilized polyclonal antibodies against GHAP and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).
Main Results:
- GHAP distribution in normal mice mirrored previously reported findings in various mammalian species.
- No significant differences in GHAP localization were observed between mutant mice and their littermate controls.
- A denser glial framework was noted in mutants compared to controls when stained for both GHAP and GFAP, likely due to reduced myelin.
Conclusions:
- GHAP expression in astrocytes is not dependent on or induced by myelination.
- These findings support the concept that white matter astrocytes represent a distinct population of glial cells within the brain.
