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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jun 19.
Published in final edited form as: Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 Feb 3;1828(1):69–78. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2012.01.024

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Schematic representation from Balice-Gordon et al. [25] showing the diffusion of low (green) and high (red) molecular mass compounds (or low molecular mass compounds in the presence of gap junction blockers) across the PNS myelin sheath following perinuclear dye injection. Low molecular mass dyes as 5, 6-carboxyfluorescein diffuse across the myelin sheath through the paranodes and the periodic expansions in compact myelin, also known as Schmidt–Lanterman incisures. High molecular mass dyes are not able not cross the myelin layers and accumulate outside the myelin sheath. This study provided the first evidence of gap junctions mediating a radial pathway across the myelin sheath in the PNS which is one million times faster than the circumferential pathway. A Schwann cell has been unwrapped in the middle of the figure showing the location of Cx32 in the regions of non-compact myelin (Schmidt–Lanterman incisures and paranodes).