FAU Lands NIH Grant to Study New Cells That May Repair Nerve Damage

From left, Laura Fontenas, Ph.D., and FAU Ph.D. student Hannah Murphy.

Yet scientists still don't fully understand how myelin-forming cells interact at the boundary between the brain and spinal cord and the peripheral nerve - or whether healthy myelin-producing cells from one part of the nervous system could help repair damage in another.

Florida Atlantic University neuroscientist Laura Fontenas, Ph.D., has received a $448,664 grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate these questions and uncover the molecular mechanisms that control a newly identified population of myelin-producing cells. The project, titled "Molecular mechanisms underlying motor exit point glia function," could provide new insights into how the nervous system responds to myelin loss and inform future strategies for repairing damaged nerves.

The nervous system has two interconnected parts: the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord; and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which includes nerves throughout the body. Different glial cells produce myelin in each: oligodendrocytes in the CNS and Schwann cells in the PNS.

Recent research by Fontenas' team in zebrafish identified a previously unknown type of glial cell called motor exit point (MEP) glia. These cells originate in the spinal cord but migrate into the PNS, where they produce myelin around motor nerves. Their unique characteristics suggest they may function across the CNS-PNS boundary.

The new NIH-funded project will investigate whether the CNS and PNS boundary is more biologically flexible than previously thought and whether myelin-producing glial cells can function beyond the region in which they normally reside.

"I'm excited to receive this NIH grant because it gives us the opportunity to understand a completely new population of glial cells and, more importantly, to determine how flexible myelin-producing cells can be at the boundary between the central and peripheral nervous systems," said Fontenas, an assistant professor of neuroscience in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and a member of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. "We hope this work will reveal fundamental mechanisms of glial cell migration and myelin formation that other scientists can use to better understand nerve repair and develop new approaches to treating diseases in which myelin is lost such as multiple sclerosis."

Fontenas and her team will pursue three main objectives: identify the genes that control MEP glia; determine whether peripheral myelin-producing cells can migrate into the spinal cord and repair damaged myelin; and investigate whether CNS myelin-producing cells can function on peripheral nerves. These studies will help reveal how flexible myelin-producing cells are and whether healthy cells can be harnessed to repair myelin damage.

The research could provide new insights into how myelin-producing cells respond to damage. In multiple sclerosis, for example, myelin is damaged in the brain and spinal cord while peripheral myelin remains intact. Fontenas' work could reveal whether healthy myelin-producing cells can be redirected to help repair damaged areas.

The Fontenas' laboratory will combine in vivo time-lapse imaging, reverse genetics, gene-expression analysis and newly developed transgenic zebrafish lines to track glial cells as they migrate, interact with motor axons and produce myelin. The team will also study the molecular signals that control how MEP glia develop, leave the spinal cord and interact with other myelin-producing cells.

In addition to advancing basic neuroscience, the NIH-funded project will provide undergraduate students in South Florida with opportunities to conduct hands-on neuroscience research. Using the project's molecular markers, reporter lines and genetic tools, students will develop hypothesis-driven projects while gaining valuable research experience.

"We hope to uncover new mechanisms that could ultimately help scientists develop better approaches to repairing myelin damage, while also giving students invaluable opportunities to contribute to this important area of neuroscience research," said Fontenas.

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