Cytoskeletal transition at the paranodes: The Achilles' heel of myelinated axons

Aurea D. Sousa, Manzoor A. Bhat

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Myelination organizes axons into distinct domains that allow nerve impulses to propagate in a saltatory manner. The edges of the myelin sheath are sealed at the paranodes by axon-glial junctions that have a crucial role in organizing the axonal cytoskeleton. Here we propose a model in which the myelinated axons depend on the axon-glial junctions to stabilize the cytoskeletal transition at the paranodes. Thus paranodal regions are likely to be particularly susceptible to damage induced by demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)169-178
Number of pages10
JournalNeuron Glia Biology
Volume3
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Axon-glial junctions
  • Axonal cytoskeleton
  • Caspr (contactin-associated protein)
  • Cytoskeletal transition
  • Myelin
  • NCP1
  • Node of Ranvier
  • Paranode
  • Paranodin

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology

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