PUBLICATION
Bdnf and Ntrk2 functions promote but are not essential for spinal cord myelination in larval zebrafish
- Authors
- Russell, K., Kearns, C.A., Walker, M.B., Knoeckel, C.S., Ribera, A.B., Doll, C.A., Appel, B.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-250718-4
- Date
- 2025
- Source
- Differentiation; research in biological diversity 145: 100896100896 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Appel, Bruce, Kearns, Christina, Ribera, Angie
- Keywords
- Growth factor signaling, Motor neuron, Myelination, Oligodendrocyte
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Axons/metabolism
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor*/genetics
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor*/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Larva/genetics
- Larva/growth & development
- Larva/metabolism
- Myelin Sheath*/genetics
- Myelin Sheath*/metabolism
- Neurons/metabolism
- Oligodendroglia/metabolism
- Receptor, trkB*/genetics
- Receptor, trkB*/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Spinal Cord*/growth & development
- Spinal Cord*/metabolism
- Zebrafish*/genetics
- Zebrafish*/growth & development
- Zebrafish Proteins*/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
- PubMed
- 40674784 Full text @ Differentiation
Citation
Russell, K., Kearns, C.A., Walker, M.B., Knoeckel, C.S., Ribera, A.B., Doll, C.A., Appel, B. (2025) Bdnf and Ntrk2 functions promote but are not essential for spinal cord myelination in larval zebrafish. Differentiation; research in biological diversity. 145:100896100896.
Abstract
Myelin, a specialized membrane produced by oligodendroglial cells in the central nervous system, wraps axons to enhance conduction velocity and maintain axon health. Not all axons are myelinated, and not all myelinated axons are uniformly wrapped along their lengths. Several lines of evidence indicate that neuronal activity can influence myelination, however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate communication between axons and oligodendrocytes remain poorly understood. Prior research showed that the neurotrophic growth factor Bdnf and its receptor Ntrk2 promote myelination in rodents, raising the possibility that Bdnf and Ntrk2 convey myelin-promoting signals from neurons to oligodendrocytes. We explored this possibility using a combination of gene expression analyses, gene function tests, and myelin sheath formation assays in zebrafish larvae. Altogether, our data indicate that, although not essential for myelination, Bdnf-Ntrk2 signaling contributes to the timely formation of myelin in the developing zebrafish spinal cord.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping