Metabolic control of Schwann cell myelination and demyelination

Abstract

Schwann cells are specialized glial cells of the peripheral nervous system that elaborate myelin sheaths along large diameter axons to potentiate fast conduction of action potentials and provide vital trophic and metabolic support to axons. Defects in the formation of myelin sheaths or breakdown of myelin by disturbance to Schwann cells or the nerve environment, whether due to genetic or acquired disease, toxicity or microbial infections can result in severely debilitating, and even fatal, neurological disorders, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. For many of these diseases, there is essentially no cure. Conversely, after traumatic injury to nerves, Schwann cells undergo a process of adaptative reprogramming to convert to repair Schwann cells that can support axonal regeneration, forming the cornerstone of nerve repair. However, functional recovery in humans is often compromised, because Schwann cells lose their repair capacity in adverse situations, such as ageing and chronic denervation.