Abstract
The myelin sheath derives from the spiral infolding about the axon of a membrane-bound, glial cell process. The major part of the sheath consists of closely packed membrane pairs separated by narrow fluid spaces. The periodic nature of this membrane array makes myelin well suited for examination of its molecular organization by diffraction techniques. Diffraction provides a means of monitoring the separation between membranes and of analyzing the forces and interactions between them. This method, which is nonperturbing, is uniquely suited to analyzing myelin structure and stability in physiologically intact tissue, even in the living animal. X-ray and neutron diffraction results on myelin can be correlated with its chemical composition, its structure as seen by electron microscopy (EM), and its responses to nerve conduction and to physical-chemical treatments. This correlation has led to a description of the average distribution of lipid, protein, and water in the membrane array and to the localization of specific proteins and lipids within the myelin membrane bilayer. It has also led to an understanding of the role of ions in membrane-membrane interactions in myelin and the possible involvement of these ions in nerve conduction.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bacon, G. E., 1962, Neutron Diffraction, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Bear, R. S., Palmer, K. J., and Schmitt, F. 0., 1941, X-ray diffraction studies of nerve lipides, J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 17: 355.
Blaurock, A. E., 1971, Structure of the nerve myelin membrane: Proof of the low-resolution profile, J. Mol. Biol. 56: 35.
Blaurock, A. E., 1979, On phasing the small-angle X-ray diffraction pattern from nerve myelin, Biophys. J. 26: 147.
Blaurock, A. E., 1981, The spaces between membrane bilayers within PNS myelin as characterized by X-ray diffraction, Brain Res. 210: 383.
Blaurock, A. E., 1982, Evidence of bilayer structure and of membrane interactions from X-ray diffraction analysis, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 650: 167.
Blaurock, A. E., and Nelander, J. C., 1979, Locating the major glycoprotein (Po protein) in the X-ray profile of frog sciatic-nerve myelin, J. Neurochem. 32: 1753.
Blaurock, A. E., and Worthington, C. R., 1966, Treatment of low angle X-ray data from planar and concentric multilayered structures, Biophys. J. 6: 305.
Boggs, J. M., and Moscarello, M. A., 1978, Structural organization of the human myelin membrane, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 515: 1.
Brady, G. W., Birnbaum, P. S., Moscarellc, M. A., and Papahadjopoulos, D., 1979, Liquid diffraction analysis of the model membrane system—egg lecithin + myelin protein (N-2), Biophys. J. 25: 23.
Brady, G. W., Fein, D. B., Wood, D. D., and Moscarello M. A., 1981a, The interaction of basic proteins from normal and multiple sclerosis myelin with phosphatidylglycerol vesicles, FEBS Lett. 125: 159.
Brady, G. W., Murthy, N. S., Fein, D. B., Wood, D. D., and Moscarello, M. A., 1981b, The effect of basic myelin protein on rnultilayer membrane formation. Biophys. J. 34: 345.
Bragg, W. L., and’Perutz, M. F., 1952, The structure of haemoglobin, Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. A 213: 425.
Branton, D., 1967, Fracture faces of frozen myelin, Exp. Cell Res. 45: 703.
Braun, P. E., 1977, Molecular architecture of myelin, in: Myelin ( P. Morell, ed.), pp. 91–115, Plenum Press, New York.
Carnegie, P. R., and Dunckley, P. R., 1975, Basic proteins of central and peripheral nervous system myelin, in: Advances in Neurochemistry, ( B. W. Agranoff and M. H. Aprison, eds.), p. 95, Plenum Press, New York.
Caspar, D. L. D., and Kirschner, D. A., 1971, Myelin membrane structure at 10 A resolution, Nature (London) New Biol. 231: 46.
Caspar, D. I. D., Melchior, V., Hollingshead, C. J., and Kirschner, D. A., 1980, Dynamics of myelin membrane contacts, in: Arent brane-MembraneInteractions ( N. B. Gilula, ed.), p. 195, Raven Press, New York.
Chabre. M., 1975, X-ray diffraction studies of retinal rods. I. Structure of the disc-membrane, effect of illumination, Biochem. Biphy.s. Acta 382: 322.
Cowley, A. C., Fuller, N. L., Rand, R. P., and Parsegian, V. A., 1978, Measurement of repulsive forces between charged phospholipid bilayers, Biochemistry 17: 3163.
Curatolo, W1’., Sakura, J. D., Small, D. M., and Shipley, G. G., 1977, Protein-lipid interactions: Recombinants of the proteolipid apoprotein of myelin with dimyristoyllecithin, Biochemistry 162313.
Daernen, F. J. M., 1973, Vertebrate rod outer segment membranes, Bioclrirn. Biophys. Acta 300: 255.
Dupoucy, P., Jacque, C., Bourre, J. M. Cesselin, F., Ptisat, A., and Baumann, N., 1979, Immunochemiral studies of myelin basic protein in shivercr mouse devoid of major dense line of myelin, Neurosci. Lett. 12: 113.
Ernnmelot, P., 1977, The organization of the plasma membrane of mammalian cells: Structure in relation to function, in: Mammalian Cell Membranes, Vol. 2, ( G. A. Jamieson and D. NI. Robinson, eds.), p. 1, Butterwoitus, London.
Fernandez-Moran, 11., and Finean, J. B., 1957, Electron microscope and low-angle X-ray diffraction studies of the nerve rnyyelin sheath, J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 3: 725.
Ficha, W., Peter, J. B., Mead, J. F., and Gan-Elepano, M., 1971, Lipids and fatty acids of sarcolemma, sarcoplasmic rericulurn, and mitochondria from rat skeletal muscle, J. Biol. Chem. 296: 5617.
Finean, J. B., 1957. The role of water in the structure of peripheral nerve myelin, J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 3: 95.
Finean, J. B., and Burge, R. E., 1963, The determination of the Fourier transform of the myelin layer from a study of swelling phenomena, J. Mol. Biol. 7: 672.
Finean, J. B., and Millington, P. F., 1957, Effects of ionic strength of immersion medium on the structure of peripheral nerve myelin, J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 3: 89.
Franks, N. P., 1976, Structural analysis of hydrated egg lecithin and cholesterol bilayer. I. X-ray diffraction, J. Slot. Biol. 100: 3–15.
Franks, N. P., and I.rvine, Y. K., 1981, I.ow-angle X-ray diffraction, in: Membrane Spectroscopy, Vol. 31 ( E. Grell, ed.), p. 437, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York.
Franks, N. P., and Lich, W. R., 1979, The structure of lipid bilayers and the effects of general anaesthetics: An X-ray and neutron diffraction study, J. Mol. Biol. 133: 469.
Franks, N. P., and I.ieh, W. R., 1980, Rapid movement of molecules across membranes: Measurement of the permeability coefficient of water using neutron diffraction, J. Slot. Biol. 141: 43.
Franks, N. P., Melchior, V., Kirschner, D. A., and Caspar, D. L. D., 1982, Structure of myelin lipid bilayers: Changes during maturation, J. Mol. Biot 155: 133.
Ganser, A. L., and Kirschner, D. A., 1980, Myelin structure in the absence of basic protein in the shivercr mouse, in: Neurological l7tutations Affecting,t7yelinauiou (N. Baumann, ed.), INSERM Symposium No. 14, p. 171, Elsevier’ North-Holland, Amsterdam.
Gereu, B. B., 1951, The formation from the Schwann cell surface of the myelin in the peripheral nerves of chick embryos, Exp. Cell Res. 7: 558.
Golds, E. F., and Braun, P. E., 1976, Organization of membrane proteins in the intact myelin sheath, J. Biol. Chem. 251: 4729.
Greenfield, S., Brostoff, S. W., and Hogan, E. L., 1980, Characterization of the basic proteins from rodent peripheral nervous system myelin, J. Netrochem. 34: 453.
Gregson, N.A., 1976, the chemistry-and structure of myelin in: The Peripheral Nerve (D. N. Landon, ed.), p. 512, 1lalsted Press, New York.
Guidotti, G., 1972, Membrane proteins, Annu. Reza. Biochem. 41: 731.
Hirano, A., Zimmerman, H. M., and Levine, S., 1966, Myelin in the central nervous system as observed in experimentally induced edema in the rat, J. Cell Biol. 31: 397.
l lollingshead, C. J., Caspar, D. I. I)., Melchior, V., and Kirschner, D. A., 1981, Compaction and particle segregation in myelin membrane arrays, J. Cell Biol. 89: 631.
Holmes, K. C., and Blow, I). M., 1966, The Use of X-ray Diffraction in the Study of Protein and Nucleic Acid Structure, Wiley, New York.
lorrocks, L. A., 1972, Content, composition, and metabolism of mammalian and avian lipids that contain ether groups, in: Ether Lipids—Chemistry and Biology ( F. Snyder, ed.), p. 177, Academic Press, New York.
Inoue, Y., Nakamura, R. Mikoshiba, K., and Tsukacla, Y., 1981, Fine structure of the central myelin sheath in the myelin deficient mutant shiverer mouse, with special reference to the pattern of myelin formation by oligodendroglia, Brain Bes. 219: 85.
James, R. W., 1965, The Optical Principles of the Diffraction of X-rays, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.
Kirschner, D. A., 1971, The structure of the nerve myelin membrane at 10 A resolution, Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Kirschner, D. A., 1974, Comparative X-ray and neutron diffraction from nerve myelin membranes, in: Spectroscopy in Biology and Chemistry ( S. Yip and S.-II. Chen, eds.), p. 203, Academic Press, New York.
Kirschner, D. A., and Caspar, D. L. D., 1975, Myelin structure transformed by (limo hylsulfoxide, [’roc. Natl. Acad. Sci. L’.S. 4. 72: 3513.
Kirschner, D. A., arid Caspar, D. L. D., 1977, Diffraction studies of molecular organization in myelin, in: [Llyezin ( P. Morell, ed.), pp. 51–89, Plenum Press, New York.
Kirschner, D. A., and Ganser, A. L., 1980, Compact myelin exists in the absence of basic protein in the shiverer mutant mouse, Nature (London) 238: 207.
Kirschner, D. A., and Ganser, A. L., 1982, Myelin labeled with mercuric chloride: Asymmetric localization of phospbatidylcthano1amine plasmalogen, J. Mol. Biol. 157: 635.
Kirschner, D. A., and Hollingshead, C. J., 1980, Processing for electron microscopy alters membrane structure and packing in myelin, J. L (lrasluct. Res. 73: 211.
Kirschner, D. A., and Sapirstein, V. S., 1982, Triethyl tin induced myelin edema: An intermediate swelling state detected by X-ray diffraction, J. Neurocytol. 11: 559.
Kirschner, D. A., and Sidman, R. L., 1976, X-ray diffraction study of myelin structure in immature and mutant mice, Biochim. Biophys. Ada 448: 73.
Kirschner, D. A., Caspar, D. L. D., Schoenborn, B. P., and Nunes, A. C., 1975, Neutron diffraction studies of nerve myelin, in: Neutron Scattering for the Analysis of Biological Structures (B. P. Schoenborn, ed.), Brookhaven Symposium in Biology No. 27, pp. III 68–76.
Kirschner, D. A., Hollingshead, C. J., Thaxton, C., Caspar, D. L. D., and Goodenough, D. A., 1979, Structural states of myelin observed by X-ray diffraction and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol. 82: 140.
Lalitha, S., and Worthington, C. R., 1975, The swelling property of central nervous system nerves using X-ray diffraction, J. Mol. Biol. 96: 625.
Lecuyer, H., and Dervichian, D. G., 1969, Structure of aqueous mixtures of lecithin and cholesterol, J. Mol. Biol. 45: 39.
Levine, Y. K., and Wilkins, M. H. F., 1971, Structure of oriented lipid bilayers, Nature (London) New Biol. 230: 69.
Li, J., 1978, An X-ray diffraction study of chloroplast thylakoid membrane structure, Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Makowski, L., Caspar, D. L. D., Phillips, W. C., and Goodenough, D. A., 1977, Gap junction structures. II. Analysis of the X-ray diffraction data, J. Cell Biol. 74: 629.
Martenson, R. F., 1980, Myelin basic protein: What does it do?, in: Biochemistry of Brain (S. Kumar, cd.), p. 49, Pergamon Press, Oxford, New York, “Toronto, Sydney, Paris, Frankfurt.
Mateu, L., Luzzati, V., London, Y., Gould, R. M., Vosseberg, F. G. A., and Olive, J., 1973, X-ray diffraction and electron microscope study of the interactions of myelin components: The structure of a lamellar phase with a 150 to 180 repeat distance containing basic proteins and acidic lipids, J. Mol. Biol. 75: 697.
McIntosh, T. J., 1980, Difference in hydrocarbon chain tilt between hydrated phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine bilayers: A molecular packing model. Biophys. J. 29: 237.
McIntosh, T. J., and Robertson, J. D., 1976, Observations on the effect of hypotonie solutions on the myelin sheath in the central nervous system, J. Mol. Biol. 100:213.
Melchior, V., Hollingshead, C. J., and Caspar, D. L. D. 1979, Divalent cations cooperatively stabilize close membrane contacts in myelin, Bioclune. Biophys. Ada 554: 204.
Mendell, J. R, and Whitaker, J. N., 1978, Immunocytochemic.al localization studies of myelin basic protein, J. Cell Biol. 76: 502.
Mikoshiba, K., Nagaike, K., and Tsukada, Y., 1980, Subeel1ulardistribution and developmental change of 2’,3’-cyclic nucleotide 3’-phosphohydrolase in thecentral nervous system of the myelin-deficient shiverer mutant mice, J. Neurochem. 35: 465.
Mikoshiba, K., Kohsaka, S., Takamatsu, K., and Tsukada, Y., 1981, Neurochemical and morphological studies on the myelin of peripheral nervous system from Shiverer mutant mice: Absence of basic proteins common to central nervous system, Brain Res. 204: 155.
Mokrasch, L. C., Bear, R.S., and Schmitt, F. O., 1971, Myelin, Neurosci. Res. Program Bull. 9:440. Moody, M. F., 1963, X-ray diffraction pattern of nerve myelin: A method for determining the phases, Science 142: 1173.
More11, P., Greenfield, S., Costantino-Ceccarini, E., and Wisniewski, H., 1972, Changes in the protein composition of mouse brain myelin during development, J. Neurochem. 19: 2545.
Nelander, J. C., and Blaurock, A. E., 1978, Disroder in nerve myelin: Phasing the higher order reflections by means of the diffuse scatter, J. Mol. Biol. 118: 497.
Norton, W. T., 1959, Reaction of mercuric chloride with plasmalogen, Nature (London) 184:1144. Norton W. T. and Cammer, W., 1984, Isolation and characterization of myelin, in: Myelin (P. More11, ed.), pp. 147–195, Plenum Press, New York.
Norton, W. T., Brotz, M., and’ Korey, S. R., 1965, Studies in the histoc:hemistry of plasmalogens, J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 24: 352.
Omlin, F. X., Webster, H. de F., Palkovits, C. E., and Cohen, S. R., 1982, Immunocytochemical localization of basic protein in major dense line of central and peripheral myelin, J. Cell. Biol. 95: 242.
Padron, R., and Mateu, L., 1980, The effect of the repetitive propagation of action potentials on the structure of toad sciatic nerve myelin membranes: An X-ray diffraction study at 11 A resolution, J. Neurosci. Res. 5: 611.
Padron, R., and Mateu, L., 1981, In vivo structure of frog sciatic nerve myelin membranes: An X-ray diffraction study at 13 A resolution, J. Neurosci. Res. 6: 251.
Padron, R., and Mateu, L., 1982, Repetitive propagation of action potentials destabilizes the structure of the myelin sheath: A dynamic X-ray diffraction study, Biophys. J. 39: 183.
Padron, R., Mateu, L., and Kirschner, D. A., 1979, X-ray diffraction study of the kinetics of myelin lattice swelling: Effect of divalent cations, Biophys. J. 28: 231.
Padron, R., Mateu, I,., and Requena, J., 1980, A dynamic X-ray diffraction study of anaesthesia action: Changes in myelin structure and electrical activity recorded simultaneously from frog sciatic nerves treated with n-alkanes, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 602: 221.
Palmer, K. J., and Schmitt, F. 0., 1941, X-ray diffraction studies of lipide emulsions, J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 17: 385.
Papahadjopoulos, D., Vail, W. J., and Moscarello, M., 1975, Interaction of a purified hydrophobic protein from myelin with phospholipid membranes, J. Mernbr. Biol. 22: 143.
Parsons, D. F., and Akers, C. K., 1969, Neutron diffraction of cell membranes (myelin), Science 165: 1016.
Peters, A., 1960, The formation and structure of myelin sheaths in the central nervous system, J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 8: 431.
Peterson, R. G., and Gruener, R. W., 1978, Morphological localization of PNS myelin proteins, Brain Res. 152: 17.
Peterson, R. G., and Pease, D. C., 1972, Myelin embedded in polymerized glutaraldehyde-urea, J. Ultrastruct. Res. 41: 115.
Pinto da Silva, P., and Miller, R. G., 1975, Membrane particles on fracture faces of frozen myelin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 72: 4046.
Poduslo, S. E., 1975, The isolation and characterization of a plasma membrane and a myelin fraction derived from oligodendroglia of calf brain, J. Neurochem. 24: 647.
Privat, A., Jacque, C., Bourre, J. M., Dupouey, P., and Baumann, N., 1979, Absence of the major dense line in myelin of the mutant mouse “shiverer,” Neurosci. Lett. 12: 107.
Rand, R. P., 1981, Interacting phospholipid bilayers: Measured forces and induced structural changes, Annu. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng. 10: 277.
Rand, R. P., Fuller, N. L., and Lis, L. J., 1979, Myelin swelling and measurement of forces between myelin membranes, Nature (London), 279: 258.
Robertson, J. D., 1958, Structural alterations in nerve fibers produced by hypertonie solutions, J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 4: 349.
Rosenbluth, J., 1980a, Peripheral myelin in the mouse mutant Shiverer, J. Comp. Neurol. 193:729. Rosenbluth, J., 1980b, Central myelin in the mouse mutant Shiverer, J. Comp. Neurol. 194: 639.
Rumsby, M. G., and Crang, A. J., 1977, The myelin sheath: A structural examination, in: The Synthesis, Assembly and Turnover of Cell Surface Components ( G. Poste and G. L. Nicolson, eds.), p. 247, North-Holland, Amsterdam.
Sayre, D., 1952, Some implications of a theory due to Shannon, Acta Crystallogr. 5: 843.
Schmitt, F. 0., Bear, R. S., and Clark, G. L., 1935, X-ray diffraction studies on nerve, Radiology 25: 131.
Schmitt, F. 0., Bear, R. S., and Palmer, K. J., 1941, X-ray diffraction studies on the structure of the nerve myelin sheath, J. Cell Comp. Physiol. 18: 31.
Torbet, J., and Wilkins, M. H. F., 1976, X-ray diffraction studies of lecithin bilayers, J. Theor. Biol. 62: 447.
Turner, J. D., and Rouser, G., 1974, Removal of lipid from intact erythrocytes and ghosts by aqueous solutions and its relevance to membrane structure, Lipids 9: 49.
Wilkins, M. H. F., Blaurock, A. E., and Engelman, D. M., 1971, Bilayer structure in membranes, Nature (London) New Biol. 230: 72.
Williams, P. L., and Wendell-Smith, C. P., 1971, Some additional parametric variations between peripheral nerve fiber populations, J. Anat. 109: 505.
Winter, J., 1982, Shiverer peripheral myelin contains P2, Nature (London) 298: 471.
Worcester, D. L., 1976, Neutron beam studies of biological membranes and membrane components, in: Biological Membranes, Vol. 3 ( D. Chapman and D. F. H. Wallach, eds.), p. 1, Academic Press, London.
Worcester, D. L., and Franks, N. P., 1976, Structural analysis of hydrated egg lecithin and cholesterol bilayers. II. Neutron diffraction, J. Mol. Biol. 100: 395.
Worthington, C. R., and Blaurock, A. E., 1969a, A low-angle X-ray diffraction study of the swelling behavior of peripheral nerve myelin. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 173: 427.
Worthington, C. R., and Blaurock, A. E., 1969b, A structure analysis of nerve myelin, Biophys. J. 9: 970.
Worthington, C. R., and McIntosh, T. J., 1974, Direct determination of the lamellar structure of peripheral nerve myelin at moderate resolution (7 A), Biophys. J. 14: 703.
Worthington, C. R., and McIntosh, T. J., 1976, An X-ray study of the condensed and separated states of sciatic nerve myelin, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 436: 707.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kirschner, D.A., Ganser, A.L., Caspar, D.L.D. (1984). Diffraction Studies of Molecular Organization and Membrane Interactions in Myelin. In: Morell, P. (eds) Myelin. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1830-0_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1830-0_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-1832-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-1830-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive