Schwann

Schottky mechanism Schott nomenclature Schradan [152-16-9] Schreibersite [12424-46-3] Schugi mixer Schulze-Hardy rule Schwann cells Schwarzembergite Schwenzfeier process Science policy... 

When large areas of the membrane are depolarized in this manner, the electrochemical disturbance propagates in wave-like form down the membrane, generating a nerve impulse. Myelin sheets, formed by Schwann cells, wrap around nerve fibers and provide an electrical insulator that surrounds most of the nerve and greatly speeds up the propagation of the wave (signal) by allowing ions to flow in and out of the membrane... 

Opportunistic infection, eg. CMV Progressive polyradiculopathy AIDS Acute, subacute Multiple, asymmetric mononeuropathies, usually painful CMV infection, Schwann cell infection demyelinating neuropathy... 

VZV radiculopathy or myeloradiculopathy AIDS Acute Lumbosacral pain saddle anesthesia rapidly progressive flaccid paraparesis VZV infection Schwann ceU-endothelial cells infection... 

Fig. 4.4 Simplified hypothesis of the mechanism of gpI20-induced dorsal root gangUon (DRG) neurotoxicity. CXCR4 binding on Schwann cells by SDF-Ia or gpI20 results in the release of RANTES, which induces tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a production by DRG neurons, and subsequent TNFRl-mediated neurotoxicity in an autocrine/paracrine fashion. Reproduced with permission of John Wiley Sons, Inc. (Keswani et al. 2003b)...

In the periphery PROG and PREG may well have an important trophic action since their production in Schwann cells has been shown to result in increased myelin synthesis in regenerating rat sciatic nerve and cultured dorsal root ganglia (see Koenig et al. 1995). 

Koenig, HE, Schumacher, M, Ferzaz, B, DeThi, A, Ressouches, A, Gennoun, R, Jung-Tester, L, Robel, P, Akwa, Y and Baulieu, EE (1995) Progesterone S5mthesis and myelin formation by Schwann cells. Science 286 1500-1503. 

The afferent fibres differ in their conduction velocity and degree of myelination, and can be distinguished by their diameter. The large diameter A S-fibres are myelinated by Schwann cells and hence have a fast conduction velocity. This group of nerve fibres innervates receptors in the dermis and is involved in the transmission of low-threshold, non-noxious information, such as touch. The A5-fibre is less densely myelinated and conveys both non-noxious and noxious sensory information. The unmyelinated C-fibre conveys high-threshold noxious inputs and has the slowest conduction velocity of all three fibre types. 

The carboxyl proteases are so called because they have two catalytically essential aspartate residues. They were formerly called acid proteases because most of them are active at low pH. The best-known member of the family is pepsin, which has the distinction of being the first enzyme to be named (in 1825, by T. Schwann). Other members are chymosin (rennin) cathepsin D Rhizopus-pepsin (from Rhizopus chinensis) penicillinopepsin (from Penicillium janthinel-lum) the enzyme from Endothia parasitica and renin, which is involved in the regulation of blood pressure. These constitute a homologous family, and all have an Mr of about 35 000. The aspartyl proteases have been thrown into prominence by the discovery of a retroviral subfamily, including one from HIV that is the target of therapy for AIDS. These are homodimers of subunits of about 100 residues.156,157 All the aspartyl proteases contain the two essential aspartyl residues. Their reaction mechanism is the most obscure of all the proteases, and there are no simple chemical models for guidance. 

Myelin A segmented laminated lipoprotein sheath formed by glial cells (oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells). It is wrapped round the axon and acts as a biological insulating material. 

Schwann cells (grey cells) and regenerating axons... 

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