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Starring activity

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 7, page 327 (2006)Cite this article

In a co-culture study, the researchers found that stimulation of dorsal root ganglian (DRG) neurons with a pattern of electrical activity that is known to induce axonal release of ATP increased myelination of axons by mature oligodendrocytes. The effect was mimicked by 2MeSATP, a non-hydrolysable form of ATP, as well as by an agonist of P2X, a type of ATP receptor.

As cytokines, such as leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and ciliary neurotrophic factor, are known to promote the myelinating activity of mature oligodendrocytes, Ishibashi et al. tested their involvement in activity-induced myelination. A LIF-blocking antibody markedly decreased myelination of DRG axons induced by electrical stimulation. In addition, there was a prolonged elevation of LIF release in the culture medium in response to axonal firing, which could be blocked by apyrase, an enzyme that rapidly degrades extracellular ATP. In the absence of electrical stimulation, 2MeSATP had a similar effect on LIF production.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Ishibashi, T. et al. Astrocytes promote myelination in response to electrical impulses. Neuron 49, 823–832 (2006)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Volterra, A. & Meldolesi, J. Astrocytes, from brain glue to communication elements: the revolution continues. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 6, 626–640 (2005)

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Authors
  1. Jane Qiu
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Qiu, J. Starring activity. Nat Rev Neurosci 7, 327 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1911

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