The Neuregulin (Nrg) genes encode factors of the EGF family that signal via ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases and provide a key axonal signal that controls Schwann cell growth and myelination. During the present funding period, we identified novel components essential for Nrg1/ErbB signaling in Schwann cells, the protease Bace1, the phosphatase Shp2 and the transcription factor c Maf.
We now aim to identify Shp2 substrates in Schwann cells and characterize signals that control c-Maf expression in vivo and in vitro. A further aim is identifying Nrg functions during development of the somatosensory system and in synapses of hippocampal interneurons.
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