Control of Schwann cell myelination.
Schwann cells ensheath all axons of peripheral nerves. Only around large-diameter axons do they elaborate myelin, forming insulating sheaths that are vital for fast conduction of axon potentials. A series of recent papers has illuminated some of the ways in which the process of myelination is controlled, both by signals from axons and by positive and negative transcriptional mechanisms within the Schwann cells themselves.
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT UK.
Kristján R
KR
Jessen
Rhona
R
Mirsky