Abstract
One of the most significant paradigm shifts in membrane remodeling is the emerging view that membrane transformation is not exclusively controlled by cytoskeletal rearrangement, but also by biophysical constraints, adhesive forces, membrane curvature and compaction. One of the most exquisite examples of membrane remodeling is myelination. The advent of myelin was instrumental in advancing the nervous system during vertebrate evolution. With more rapid and efficient communication between neurons, faster and more complex computations could be performed in a given time and space. Our knowledge of how myelin-forming oligodendrocytes select and wrap axons has been limited by insufficient spatial and temporal resolution. By virtue of recent technological advances, progress has clarified longstanding controversies in the field. Here we review insights into myelination, from target selection to axon wrapping and membrane compaction, and discuss how understanding these processes has unexpectedly opened new avenues of insight into myelination-centered mechanisms of neural plasticity.
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Acknowledgements
The electron micrograph in Figure 1 is courtesy of K. Susuki at Wright State University with technical assistance from D. Townley and support from the Integrated Microscopy Core at Baylor College of Medicine, with funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) (HD007495, DK56338 and CA125123), the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center and the John S. Dunn Gulf Coast Consortium for Chemical Genomics. We thank P.-J. Lee for her insight, creativity and efforts in making the illustrations. We also thank A.J. Green and the members of the Chan laboratory for critical reading of the manuscript and insightful comments. This review was supported by National Multiple Sclerosis Society research grants (RG4541A3 and RG5203A4), NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (R01NS062796) and the Rachleff Endowment to J.R.C. S.A.R. is supported by an NIH NINDS National Research Service Award (F31NS081905).
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Chang, KJ., Redmond, S. & Chan, J. Remodeling myelination: implications for mechanisms of neural plasticity. Nat Neurosci 19, 190–197 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4200
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4200
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