Gene expression comparison between Ebf2 -/- and WT P2 Sciatic nerves

Ebf genes regulate differentiation of several cell type. Ebf2 is expressed in Schwann cells and Ebf2-/- mice show among other phenotypical abnormalities a delay in the onset of myelination associated to a decreased expression of genes regulating myelination. In addition at one month of age Ebf2-/- mice show decreased motor conduction velocity and morphological alteration in sciatic nerves. Ebf2 target genes are unknown. To identify Ebf2 target genes with a role in myelination, we compared the expression profiles of sciatic nerves isolated from P2 Wt and Ebf2-/- mice by microarray analysis. We used microarray to find Ebf2 candidate target genes by comparing gene expression of Ebf2-/- sciatic nerve and wt nerves 2 days postnatally (P2) a time point in which Ebf2-/- pups present a delay in the onset of myelination. We set up several Ebf2+/- X Ebf2+/- breeding couples and monitored births every day. The day after birth (P1) we genotype the pups. At P2 we isolated and cut sciatic nerves and we pooled nerves according to genotype. The single pool include 12 nerves and we constituted 3 pools of wt nerves and 2 pools of Ebf2-/- nerves.