01688nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653001100067653001200078653001200090653002300102653002900125653003900154653002300193653001800216100001400234700001400248245007900262300001100341490000700352520106100359022001401420       2005                            d  c2005 Jun10aAnimals10aHumans10aLaminin10aleprosy10aModels, Biological10aNerve Fibers, Myelinated10aPeripheral Nervous System Diseases10aReceptors, Laminin10aSchwann Cells1 aFeltri ML1 aWrabetz L00aLaminins and their receptors in Schwann cells and hereditary neuropathies.  a128-430 v103 a<p>This review focuses on the influence of laminins, mediated through laminin receptors present on Schwann cells, on peripheral nerve development and pathology. Laminins influence multiple aspects of cell differentiation and tissue morphogenesis, including cell survival, proliferation, cytoskeletal rearrangements, and polarity. Peripheral nerves are no exception, as shown by the discovery that defective laminin signals contribute to the pathogenesis of diverse neuropathies such as merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth 4F, neurofibromatosis, and leprosy. In the last 5 years, advanced molecular and cell biological techniques and conditional mutagenesis in mice began revealing the role of different laminins and receptors in developing nerves. In this way, we are starting to explain morphological and pathological observations beginning at the start of the last century. Here, we review these recent advances and show how the roles of laminins and their receptors are surprisingly varied in both time and place.</p>  a1085-9489