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Updated: Jun 17, 2025

Use of Primary Cultured Hippocampal Neurons to Study the Assembly of Axon Initial Segments
Published on: February 12, 2021
The Nodes of Ranvier: Mechanisms of Assembly and Maintenance
Matthew N Rasband1, Elior Peles2
1Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA rasband@bcm.edu peles@weizmann.ac.il.
Abstract:
Action potential propagation along myelinated axons requires clustered voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels. These channels must be restricted to nodes of Ranvier where the action potential is regenerated. Several mechanisms have evolved to facilitate and ensure the correct assembly and stabilization of these essential axonal domains. This review highlights the current understanding of the axon-intrinsic and glial-extrinsic mechanisms that control the formation and maintenance of the nodes of Ranvier in both the peripheral (PNS) and central (CNS) nervous systems.
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