# A versatile reporter for visualization of myelin plasticity in the genetically modified rat

> **NIH NIH R21** · METHODIST HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2021 · $444,125

## Abstract

Abstract
Myelin structure is a critical regulator of nerve conduction and an essential factor in axon development and
homeostasis. In recent years, a number of seminal observations have dispelled a long-standing dogma that
myelin is a static, inflexible structure. Advances in imaging techniques as well as in the methods used to label
myelin have revealed that myelin plasticity occurs at the level of wrap number and sheath length during post-
natal development, aging, and regeneration after injury. Observations of myelin plasticity indicate a more
profound role of myelin axon function, and thereby highlight a critical need for better tools to investigate the
mechanisms of myelin formation and remodeling. Here, we propose that the limited availability of tools for myelin
reporting has significantly hindered our understanding of myelin biology. Illuminating the mechanisms of myelin
plasticity will dramatically impact our understanding of the function of myelin in the nervous system and how
myelin contributes to aging, injury, and disease. Our lab and others have developed myelin reporter systems in
the mouse, but many of the behavioral and physiological studies that could inform myelin function are better
modeled in the rat. The rat nervous system is unique from the mouse in terms of critical elements of behavior,
endocrine function, epigenetics, and neurogenesis. Rats are also considered superior for modeling and
translating regenerative therapies. We propose to develop a versatile myelin membrane reporter system in the
rat capable of discriminating between new and old myelin in the nervous system with spatial and temporal
precision. To generate the first myelin reporter rat system, we propose: Aim 1: Develop a rat myelin reporter
system and Aim 2: Test the specificity and efficiency of myelin promoters in the rat reporter system. Results from
this research will produce a myelin tagging system that will have unique functional advantages for the study of
myelin development, myelin regeneration, and myelin in aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10303241
- **Project number:** 1R21NS117983-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** METHODIST HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Philip J Horner
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $444,125
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10303241

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10303241, A versatile reporter for visualization of myelin plasticity in the genetically modified rat (1R21NS117983-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10303241. Licensed CC0.

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