EMBRYONIC-DEVELOPMENT OF SCHWANN-CELLS - MULTIPLE ROLES FOR NEUREGULINS ALONG THE PATHWAY

During the past few years important advances have been realized in the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms operating in t he differentiation of Schwann cells from neural crest cells. In partic ular the development of in vitro culture systems has allowed the analy sis of commitment to the Schwann cell lineage, identification of an in termediate between the neural crest cell and the Schwann cell, and ini tial analysis of the factors controlling determination and differentia tion processes. These studies point in particular to major roles for n euregulins which appear to be involved in the control of cell survival , proliferation, and differentiation, as well as of gene expression at different levels of the pathway.