01477nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653001000051653001100061653002300072653002400095653001800119100001500137700001200152245007600164300001100240490000700251520099900258022001401257       2006                            d  c200610aAxons10aHumans10aNerve Regeneration10aNeuronal Plasticity10aSchwann Cells1 aBhatheja K1 aField J00aSchwann cells: origins and role in axonal maintenance and regeneration.  a1995-90 v383 a<p>The Schwann cell plays a vital role in maintaining the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Schwann cells are derived from neural crest cells, and come in two types either myelinating or non-myelinating Schwann cells. Both play a pivotal role in the maintenance and regeneration of axons of the neurons in the PNS. The regulation of Schwann cells is mediated a number of different neurotrophic factors which signal to transcription factors such as Krox-20, Oct-6 and Sox-10. Schwann cells are affected in a number of demyelinating disorders, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and Guillain-Barré Syndrome, infected by Mycobacterium leprae to cause leprosy and are responsible for the tumors seen in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 and neurofibromatosis type 2. The Schwann cell is under investigation as a therapeutic agent for demyelinating diseases and spinal cord injuries. Further research on Schwann cells will help understand these diseases and perhaps lead to new treatments.</p>  a1357-2725