Peripheral nerve injury induces Schwann cells to express two macrophage phenotypes: phagocytosis and the galactose-specific lectin MAC-2.

In N mice, peripheral nerve injury is followed by the normal rapid progression of Wallerian degeneration: Schwann cells proliferate and lose their myelin, which is phagocytized and metabolized by blood-borne macrophages. The role of Schwann cells in myelin phagocytosis is debated. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms underlying myelin phagocytosis by the two cell types are not well understood. To elucidate the role of Schwann cells as phagocytes we studied, electron microscopically, in vivo and in vitro degenerating, frozen, and neuroma nerve segments. The major cell types composing these tissues differed: Schwann and macrophages in in vivo degenerating; Schwann in in vitro degenerating; macrophages in frozen; Schwann, macrophages, and fibroblasts in neuroma nerve segments. Both macrophages and Schwann cells phagocytized myelin. We further studied, by immunocytochemistry and immunoblot analysis, the expression of molecules that are characteristically displayed by inflammatory and mature murine macrophages: MAC-1 (the C3b complement receptor), MAC-2 (a galactose-specific lectin), the Fc receptor, and the F4/80 antigen. All were detected in the macrophage-rich, in vivo degenerating, frozen, and neuroma nerve segments. Surprisingly, MAC-2 was also expressed in the macrophage-scarce, Schwann-rich, in vitro degenerating nerve. Immunocytochemistry and immunoblot analysis of isolated non-neuronal cells revealed that both macrophages and Schwann cells displayed MAC-2 on their surface and in their cytoplasm. Morphometry unveiled that galactose and lactose specifically inhibited myelin phagocytosis, as predicted if MAC-2 was mediating myelin phagocytosis by lectinophagocytosis (lectin-mediated phagocytosis). The role of MAC-2 in mediating myelin phagocytosis was further supported by two observations made in W mice that display very slow progression of Wallerian degeneration. First, the failure to degenerate in vivo was associated with deficient MAC-2 production. Second, degeneration that occurred in vitro was associated with MAC-2 production. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation between levels of MAC-2 expression and the extent of myelin destruction by phagocytosis was observed over a wide range of values.