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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Analyzing Murine Schwann Cell Development Along Growing Axons
Published on: November 21, 2012
[Axon and Schwann cells... so far away, so close]
P-M Martin1, C Cifuentes-Diaz, M Garcia
1Inserm UMR-S 839, institut du Fer-à-Moulin, 17, rue du Fer-à-Moulin, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Myelination was a major step in the evolution of the nervous system. Appearing first in jaw fish, myelination allows the fast and secure propagation of action potentials at a low energetic cost, and without exaggerated increase in axonal diameter. In the peripheral nervous system of mammals, myelination results from the tight interactions between Schwann cells and axons, leading to the formation of highly differentiated domains along the axon. The molecular determinants of these interactions are starting to be well identified. Their understanding provides a precise framework to interpret the defects, which occur in pathological circumstances. This review summarizes the present state of knowledge concerning axoglial interactions in peripheral nerves.
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