Home Department: Human Biology
Supported by: Bio-X
Mentor: William Talbot, Developmental Biology

Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells are supportive cells that produce the myelin sheath around axons in the nervous system. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a messenger that regulates differentiation of these cells, which affects proper development of axons. Using zebrafish as a model organism, Hannah will investigate the function of cAMP by using fluorescent tagging and observing myelin sheath development around the axon and gene expression at various stages of development. A better understanding of the disruption of myelin has important implications for diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and peripheral neuropathy.

Poster presented at the Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Symposium on August 24, 2017:

Investigating the Role of Gpr126 and cAMP in Schwann Cells

Hannah Llorin¹, Mariapaola Sidoli¹, William Talbot¹
[Department of Developmental Biology¹, Stanford University]