Mutations in dock1 disrupt early Schwann cell development.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the peripheral nervous system (PNS), specialized glial cells called Schwann cells produce myelin, a lipid-rich insulating sheath that surrounds axons and promotes rapid action potential propagation. During development, Schwann cells must undergo extensive cytoskeletal rearrangements in order to become mature, myelinating Schwann cells. The intracellular mechanisms that drive Schwann cell development, myelination, and accompanying cell shape changes are poorly understood.

Methods

Through a forward genetic screen in zebrafish, we identified a mutation in the atypical guanine nucleotide exchange factor, dock1, that results in decreased myelination of peripheral axons. Rescue experiments and complementation tests with newly engineered alleles confirmed that mutatio

SUBMITTER: Cunningham RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6083577 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature