Developmental expression of the myelin-associated glycoprotein in the peripheral nervous system is different from that in the central nervous system.

We recently characterized two developmentally regulated myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) polypeptides synthesized by mouse brain mRNA in vitro. We now extended these studies to include the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Total cytoplasmic RNA was isolated from the sciatic nerves of 7-, 12-, and 17-day-old and adult rats and translated in vitro in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. In contrast to results in the CNS, it appears that only one MAG polypeptide, p67MAG, is synthesized by PNS mRNA at all ages. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to recent observations concerning both the localization of MAG and the synthesis of MAG in the PNS of dysmyelinating mutant mice.