MOTOR EXIT POINT GLIA
Recent studies from the lab show that MEP glia myelinate spinal motor root axons in a discrete region located between oligodendrocytes, which myelinate spinal cord axons, and Schwann cells, which myelinate motor nerves. Currently, we are elucidating how MEP glia interact with oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells to myelinate distinct, non-overlapping peripheral axonal segments and the mechanisms that mediate these interactions. We are also investigating if we can divert MEP glia from spinal motor roots and take advantage of their myelinating property 1) in the spinal cord and 2) along more proximal locations of motor nerves in Schwann cell deficient zebrafish models. Finally, we previously showed that MEP glia express a range of markers including a combination of both CNS and PNS glial markers as well as one boundary cap cell marker. We are currently expanding this repertoire by using RNA sequencing.
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