New movies reveal how nerves get their insulating layer

Vanderbilt researchers have produced the first time-lapse movies of the process that wraps an outer, insulating layer of myelin around the nerve fibers as the spinal cord develops in vertebrates. The movies were taken of the process in living zebrafish embryos. The researchers discovered that the initial stage in this process is surprisingly dynamic. Special glial cells, called oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPCs), spread out along new axons and continually jockey for position until they are uniformly spaced along the length of the spinal cord. Two of OPCs have been colored green to make them easier to follow. When they are properly spaced, a fraction of these OPCs transform into oligodendrocytes which extrude myelin membranes that wrap around the axons. For more information and additional videos, go to Exploration, Vanderbilt's online research magazine, at www.exploration.vanderbilt.edu.

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• Science
• biology
• development
• spine
• nerves
• zebrafish
• Vanderbilt
• Appel

[clohacloha]

do we actually see them secreting myelin, or just shooting out their filopodia and moving about? Hard to tell when they are actually creating myelin

[DFSalisbury]

The video shows the phase that preceeds myelination when the oligodendrocyte progenitors spread out along new axons. Myelination occurs after the OPCs are properly spaced and change into oligodendrocytes.

[joeyrose1107]

are the green things Oligodendrocytes???

[DFSalisbury]

Yes. We colored a few of the oligodendrocytes green to make it easier for viewers to pick them out.

[dubs27]

excellent work! :)

[clohacloha]

thanks- another question is what the general streaming is from left to right, it appears that smaller cells are migrating rapidly to the right- is that in the peripheral direction? I presume that the motor neurons are already in place, if so what are these additional cells? Thanks for any pointers; the reason I'm asking about such details is that I'm planning to use your video in my neuroscience lectures!

[PrivateSi]

fantastic

[SuperiorArtCritic]

The green glow is the myelin being generated and allocated?

[rainorshine1099]

Absolutely incredible!!