IBN-9603750 Knapp These studies are concerned with 2 different types of cells found in the brain: nerves and oligodenrocytes. During the time that the brain is developing, oligodendrocytes make connections with nerves and eventually wrap a fatty coating called myelin around the long extensions of the nerve cells. This fatty coating is very important since it functions to insulate the nerve cells as in an electrical wire, allowing them to send signals with speed and accuracy. When myelin does not form properly or when it is destroyed by injury or disease, the nerves do not function properly and this results in problems with movement, vision and many other body systems. Since this myelin coating is so important for the function of nerves, it is critical that we understand how nerves and oligodendrocytes recognize each other in the developing brain and how they interact. Some evidence presented by the principal investigator suggests that there are signals which are sent from nerves to regulate oligodendrocyte development and behavior. The basic goal of these studies is to determine what these signals are and how oligodendrocytes recognize and respond to them. The investigators propose to address 3 related questions about the relationship between nerves causes oligodendrocytes to synthesize particular proteins and then distribute them to the correct place within the cell. (Sometimes in order for a protein to function properly it must not only be made in sufficient amounts, but must also be put in the right place.) Based on our earlier findings, the investigators have chosen to work with proteins which control the ion distribution and electrical activity within cells. The second question is whether contact with nerves regulates the distribution of the precursor to those proteins (this is called mRNA). The final question is whether the investigators can identify specific chemicals on the surfaces of either oligodendroctyes or nerves which serve as signa ls to control protein mRNA production and distribution in oligodendrocytes. These studies will help us to understand how nerves control oligodendrocyte development and the formulation of myelin.
