While recent studies have established the presence of voltage-gated ion channels on Schwann cells in culture and on freshly isolated fibers from mature mammals, an important issue not yet explored is whether Schwann cell channels are regionally specialized. In the nodal region, the intimate association between the Schwann cell and its axon suggests that this is a likely site for functional spec...

We report on characterization of a 170,000 Da glycoprotein found exclusively in the PNS. We refer to this protein as the Schwann cell membrane glycoprotein (SAG). SAG contains the HNK-1 carbohydrate, which is considered by some to be a marker of adhesion molecules. Its N-terminal sequence is not similar to previously known polypeptide sequences. SAG is found exclusively in the PNS, is present i...

Neuregulin/erbB signaling is critically required for survival and proliferation of Schwann cells as well as for establishing correct myelin thickness of peripheral nerves during development. In this study, we investigated whether erbB2 signaling in Schwann cells is also essential for the maintenance of myelinated peripheral nerves and for Schwann cell proliferation and survival after nerve inju...

The use of artificial nerves for the repair of peripheral nerve defects is restricted by the limited sources of Schwann cells (SCs). Human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‑derived Schwann‑like cells are considered an alternative and desirable cell source. The aim of the present study was to establish a method of inducing directional differentiation of human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) MSCs into Schw...

the effect of nerve growth factor (ngf) on regeneration of rat sciatic nerves in adult rat was studied. the sciatic nerve was cut out across a 6‑mm gap, then the proximal and distal stumps were inserted into the silicone tube chamber. 7s ngf was extracted from submaxillary gland and then was injected into the silicone in experimental group. after seven months nerve was transected and stained wi...

Schwann cells don caps, touch nodes n vertebrates, axons are covered with an insulating myelin sheath, punctuated by gaps called nodes of Ranvier where voltage-gated sodium channels cluster. The nodes are essential for propagating action potentials along the axon, but little is known about how they develop. Gatto et al. (page 489) imaged live cell cultures to watch Schwann cells myelinate expla...

Rat sciatic nerve Schwann cells in culture respond to a limited range of mitogens, including glial growth factor, transforming growth factors beta-1 and beta-2 (TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2), some cell membrane-associated factors, and to agents such as cholera toxin and forskolin which raise intracellular levels of cAMP. These responses require the presence of FCS, which exhibits little or no mitogen...

Cutaneous neurofibromas, characteristic lesions of neurofibromatosis 1, are composed of an abundant extracellular matrix and nerve connective tissue-derived cell types: Schwann cells, perineurial cells, and fibroblasts. In this study, the extracellular matrix gene expression by these cells was examined under culture conditions that allowed them to be metabolically active and readily identifiabl...

In most mammalian cells, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A pathway promotes growth arrest and cell differentiation. However in Schwann cells, the reverse is true. Elevated levels of cAMP function as the cofactor to a broad range of mitogenic cues in culture and in animals. Previous studies have suggested that cAMP acts at an early point in the Schwann cell mitogenic response, perhaps by stimu...

Rat sciatic nerve Schwann cells in culture respond to a limited range of mitogens, including glial growth factor, transforming growth factors beta-1 and beta-2 (TGF-fll, TGF-/~2), some cell membrane-associated factors, and to agents such as cholera toxin and forskolin which raise intracellular levels of cAME These responses require the presence of FCS, which exhibits little or no mitogenic acti...