Schwann cells are one of the commonly used cells in repair strategies following spinal cord injuries. Schwann cells are capable of supporting axonal regeneration and sprouting by secreting growth factors (1,2) and providing growth promoting adhesion molecules (3) and extracellular matrix molecules (4). In addition they myelinate the demyelinated axons at the site of injury (5). However followin...

BACKGROUND Bacterial pathogens can manipulate or subvert host tissue cells to their advantage at different stages during infection, from initial colonization in primary host niches to dissemination. Recently, we have shown that Mycobacterium leprae (ML), the causative agent of human leprosy, reprogrammed its preferred host niche de-differentiated adult Schwann cells to progenitor/stem cell-like...

Bacterial pathogens can manipulate or subvert host tissue cells Background: to their advantage at different stages during infection, from initial colonization in primary host niches to dissemination. Recently, we have shown that (ML), the causative agent of human leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae reprogrammed its preferred host niche de-differentiated adult Schwann cells to progenitor/stem cell-lik...

Radiolabelled saxitoxin has been used as a chemical marker for the voltage-dependent sodium channels expressed in the plasmalemma of rabbit Schwann cells in culture. Proteolytic enzymes destroy this saxitoxin-binding capacity, which gradually reappears with an exponential time constant of about 3.1 days. Exposure of cultured Schwann cells to tunicamycin, an inhibitor of glycosylation, leads to ...

21s.) London and Edinburgh: E. & S. Livingstone, 1960. THFRE iS little doubt that the cellular theory of tissue structure owes a great deal to Theodor Schwann (1810-1832) and this book devotes a chapter to his contribution. This is entirely superficial and fails to assess his really important contribution which Virchow was subsequently to make the basis of modem pathology. Schwann's stature is ...

Shiverer (shi) is an autosomal recessive mutation in mice that results in hypomyelination in the central nervous system (CNS) but normal myelination in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Myelin basic proteins (MBPs) are virtually absent in both PNS and CNS. It is not known whether the cellular target in the PNS is the myelin-forming Schwann cell or another cell type which secondarily affects ...

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), also known as von Recklinghausen disease is caused by disorder of a single gene on chromosome 17 that usually restrains cell division. The NF1 gene is mapped to chromosome 17(17p21). Its protein product neurofibromin, negatively regulate oncogenic Ras, and thus regulate cell proliferation. Neurofibromas are heterogeneous and complex benign tumours, consisting of...

During embryonic development of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Schwann cell precursors migrate along neuronal axons to their final destinations, where they will myelinate the axons after birth. While the intercellular signals controlling Schwann cell precursor migration are well studied, the intracellular signals controlling Schwann cell precursor migration remain elusive. Here, using a r...

Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) exhibit multi‑lineage differentiation ability. The present study investigated the possibility that hAECs possess the potential to differentiate into Schwann‑like cells using an in vitro indirect co‑culture approach. hAECs were isolated via enzymatic digestion, and immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry were performed to identify the hAECs. The hAECs were ...