Control of Schwann cell myelination

Schwann cells ensheath all axons of peripheral nerves. Only around large-diameter axons do they elaborate myelin, forming insulating sheaths that are vital for fast conduction of axon potentials. A series of recent papers has illuminated some of the ways in which the process of myelination is controlled, both by signals from axons and by positive and negative transcriptional mechanisms within the Schwann cells themselves.