The Call Lab at University of Notre Dame studies how oligodendrocytes are made and how they decide where to place myelin. We pair the speed of zebrafish genetics with the depth of mouse models, combining in vivo imaging, CRISPR screens, and connectomic analysis to learn how myelin shapes the brain from development to old age.
Opening July 2027
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Progenitor cells like the one here must figure out when and where to make an oligodendrocyte. How do these progenitors balance self-renewal with differentiation? How do cells balance internal state with external cues?
After a progenitor differentiates, this pre-myelinating oligodendrocyte must dramatically alter its cell state and find neuronal axons to myelinate. How does a cell manage the transcriptional, epigenetic, cytoskeletal, and organelle reorganization required to complete this process?
Once an oligodendrocyte is made, what are the consequences of all of its myelin sheaths on the dozens of neurons it contacts? If these sheaths change or are lost, how does that impact those neurons?