Expressing antisense Po RNA in Schwann cells perturb myelination

Primary Schwann cells were infected in vitro with a recombinant retrovirus expressing a dominant selectable marker, neomycin phosphotransferase (conferring resistance to the drug G418), and antisense Po RNA under the control of the human β-actin promoter. A proportion of the G418-resistant cells failed to form myelin when cocultured with dorsal root ganglion neurons under conditions that promote Schwann cell differentiation. These cells expressed high levels of Po antisense RNA