Use of Ulip-and/or Ulip2 in the treatment of myelin disorders

A method for the prevention or treatment of myelin disorders, comprising administering to a patient in need of such treatment a therapeutically effective amount of an agent selected from the group consisting of a Ulip/CRMP protein, a nucleic acid coding for a Ulip/CRMP protein, an anti-sense sequence capable of specifically hybridizing with said nucleic acid, an antibody directed against the Ulip/CRMP protein, and an aptamer capable of binding said protein, and a pharmacologically acceptable carrier.

A method of diagnosing a myelin disorder in a subject, comprising:

• evaluating the level of expression of at least one agent selected from the group consisting of a Ulip/CRMP protein and antibodies to a Ulip/CRMP protein present in the sample in a biological sample from said subject;
• comparing the level of expression of said agent in the biological sample with expression levels of said agent in control subjects.

A system for determining which compounds may be useful for treating or preventing a myelin disorder comprising

• a testing means which allows one to contact a test compound and
• a determining means to determine if the test compound has a stimulatory or inhibitory activity on the Ulip/CRMP protein, said activity being indicative of a compound potentially useful for treating or preventing a myelin disorder.

A method for identifying an endogenous agent as a therapeutic target for the prevention or the treatment of myelin disorders comprising:

• contacting a cell, a tissue sample, a biological liquid sample, or an extract thereof, from a patient affected with a myelin disorder, with a Ulip/CRMP protein in a suitable medium allowing the Ulip/CRMP protein to interact with an endogenous agent;
• determining if the Ulip/CRMP protein interacts with an endogenous agent;
• identifying those endogenous agents interacting with the Ulip/CRMP protein as therapeutic targets for the prevention or the treatment of myelin disorders.