Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Protein key to neuro-regeneration

Protein key to neuro-regeneration

May 21, 2008

Regenerative activity in the peripheral nervous system could mean regeneration for the central nervous system

Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England, University College London, the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan and Cancer Research UK, have for the first time identified a protein that is key to the regeneration of damage in the peripheral nervous system and which could with further research lead to understanding diseases of our peripheral nervous systems and provide clues to methods of repairing damage in the central nervous system, according to a paper published this week in the Journal of Cell Biology.




The team looked at a protein called c-Jun, a transcription factor that regulates the expression of other genes. They found that the c-Jun protein plays a vital role in the regulating the plasticity of Schwann cells which is vital for the way in which the peripheral nervous system regenerates and repairs itself after injury.

Schwann cells produce the sheaths that surround and insulate neurons. When there is damage to the peripheral nervous system Schwann cells unwrap themselves from the degenerating axon. During this process of repair, Schwann cells then provide the correct environment for the neurons to re-grow and complete the process of repair.

By identifying this transcription factor, the research team believes that there is scope to produce eventual cures for damage and diseases of the peripheral nervous system, such as the inherited condition Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and the autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barre disease.

Unlike the peripheral nervous system, the central nervous system does not regenerate when damaged. With further research, the team hopes to work towards identifying ways in which Schwann cells and c-Jun could be used to repair the spinal cord, leading to possible cures and relief for millions of people around the world suffering from damage of the central nervous system.

Further research could also identify whether abnormal activation of the c-Jun protein may be involved in causing Schwann cell tumours, for instance in the condition of neurofibromatosis type 2, leading to a better understanding of this condition and the development of therapies for this condition.

Dr. David Parkinson from the Peninsula Medical School, who was lead researcher on the paper, commented: "This is a very exciting first step towards understanding how the peripheral nervous system repairs itself, how that process could be used to produce cures for diseases of and damage to the peripheral nervous system, and how it could ultimately encourage the central nervous system to behave like the peripheral nervous system and repair itself."

He added: "We knew that Schwann cells, unlike other cells in the body, are constantly able to rejuvenate themselves. We now have a better understanding of how this happens, and that understanding could be used to create treatments and therapies for a wide range of degenerative diseases."

The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry



Related Nervous System Current Events and Nervous System News Articles Nervous System Current Events and Nervous System News RSS Nervous System Current Events and Nervous System News RSS
Pandemic flu vaccine campaigns may be undermined by coincidental medical events
The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns - like that now underway for H1N1 - could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines.

Brain tumors in childhood leave a lasting mark on cognition, life status
Brain tumors in childhood cast a long shadow on survivors. The first study of the lasting impact of these tumors -- the most common solid malignancies in childhood -- shows that survivors have ongoing cognitive problems.

Robot fish could monitor water quality
Nature inspires technology for an engineer and an ecologist teamed up at Michigan State University. They're developing robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments.

Researchers find brain cell transplants help repair neural damage
A Swiss research team has found that using an animal's own brain cells (autologous transplant) to replace degenerated neurons in select brain areas of donor primates with simulated but asymptomatic Parkinson's disease and previously in a motor cortex lesion model, provides a degree of brain protection and may be useful in repairing brain lesions and restoring function.

Childhood cancer survivors experience suicidal thoughts decades after diagnosis
Adult survivors of childhood cancer have an increased risk for suicidal thoughts, even decades after their cancer treatments ended, according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists.

Neurologists Investigate Possible New Underlying Cause of MS
Neurologists at the University at Buffalo are beginning a research study that could overturn the prevailing wisdom on the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Master regulator found for regenerating nerve fibers in live animals
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report that an enzyme known as Mst3b, previously identified in their lab, is essential for regenerating damaged axons (nerve fibers) in a live animal model, in both the peripheral and central nervous systems.

Now hear this
Deep in the ear, 95 percent of the cells that shuttle sound to the brain are big, boisterous neurons that, to date, have explained most of what scientists know about how hearing works.

Study finds mercury levels in children with autism and those developing typically are the same
In a large population-based study published online today, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute report that after adjusting for a number of factors, typically developing children and children with autism have similar levels of mercury in their blood streams. Mercury is a heavy metal found in other studies to adversely affect the developing nervous system.

Brain-damaged children often have cold feet
Many wheelchair-using children with neurological disorders have much colder hands and feet than other children, and most receive no special help even though they have had these problems for a long time, is revealed in at thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
More Nervous System Current Events and Nervous System News Articles
An Introduction to Nervous Systems

An Introduction to Nervous Systems
by Ralph J. Greenspan (Author)

An Introduction to Nervous Systems presents the principles of neurobiology from an evolutionary perspective from single celled organisms to complex invertebrates such as flies and is ideal for use as a supplemental textbook. Greenspan describes the mechanisms that allow behavior to become ever more sophisticated from simple avoidance behavior of Paramecium through to the complex cognitive behaviors of the honeybee and shows how these mechanisms produce the increasing neural complexity found in these organisms. The book ends with a discussion of what is universal about nervous systems and what may be required, neurobiologically, to be human. This novel and highly readable presentation of fundamental principles of neurobiology is designed to be accessible to undergraduate and graduate...

The Nervous System: A True Book (True Books-Health)

The Nervous System: A True Book (True Books-Health)
by Darlene R. Stille (Author)

Describes the various parts of the nervous system and explains how sensory messages are sent back and forth through nerves between the brain and the body.

The Brain: Our Nervous System

The Brain: Our Nervous System
by Seymour Simon (Author)

Exceptional nonfiction for children from two of the most trusted names in science education: Seymour Simon and the Smithsonian Institution.



The Human Nervous System: Structure and Function (HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM (NOBACK))

The Human Nervous System: Structure and Function (HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM (NOBACK))
by Charles R. Noback (Editor), David A. Ruggiero (Editor), Robert J. Demarest (Editor), Norman L. Strominger (Editor)

Now in its sixth best-selling edition, The Human Nervous System: Structure and Function continues to combine clear prose with high quality tailor-made medical illustrations to achieve for neuroscientists and medical students a succinct explanation of the fundamental principles behind the organization, structure, and function of the human nervous system. The distinguished authors take advantage of the many recent advances in neurobiology and molecular biology to include new coverage of such critical discoveries as stem cells, apoptosis, the role of the amygdala in stress, and the significance of dendritic spines. Among the core topics given expanded treatments are pain and pain pathways, the visual system, development and growth of the nervous system, the chemical senses of smell and...

Aids to the Examination of the Peripheral Nervous System (Neurology)

Aids to the Examination of the Peripheral Nervous System (Neurology)
by Brain (Author)

This new edition of the highly successful short guide to the examination of the peripheral nervous system has been brought up to date and includes new illustrations, to ensure it retains its place as the standard short text on the subject.

The Nervous System (True Books)

The Nervous System (True Books)
by Christine Taylor-Butler (Author)



The Nervous System Anatomical Chart Laminated

The Nervous System Anatomical Chart Laminated
by Anatomical Chart Company

Featuring classic illustrations by Peter Bachin, this chart shows nerves in the body, brain, midbrain, medulla oblongata, and spinal cord. Spinal meninges, intercostal nerves, and sagittal section of female pelvis are also shown.

Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature

Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature
by Jan Lars Jensen (Author)

Within the literature of madness, there has never been a memoir as wrenching and mordantly humorous as Jan Lars Jensen’s Nervous System. A quiet librarian who struck publishing gold with his first novel, Jensen felt as if something had come unhinged in his mind. The rush of ideas and language felt like losing, willy-nilly, a chunk of his mental stability. But true madness didn’t come until the countdown to his book’s release into the world.

A few months after selling his novel to a major American publisher, Jensen woke in a psych ward bed, only to find the ideas that had inspired him now roamed through waking nightmares that deranged him. Just as literature prompted Jensen’s slide into paranoid obsession, so did it help him rebuild and recover. Whether he was groping to...

Just The Facts: The Human Body - Nervous System

Just The Facts: The Human Body - Nervous System
Starring: Just the Facts
Directed By: Cerebellum Corporation

Are you right- or left-handed? Do you remember your first day of school? What are you thinking right now? The answers to these questions go right to the "brains of the operation," the incredible nervous system of the human body. This second part of The Human Body series explores the brain, spinal cord, nerves and the trillions of neurons, or nerve cells, that make our bodies uniquely human.

Experts in neuroscience help us understand why the human brain is a marvel of structure and function. Viewers learn about left brain and right brain activities, and the purpose and function of the cerebellum, cerebrum, cranial nerves and other parts of the brain. The program also examines the interaction of the spinal cord and nerve endings, as well as fascinating concepts...

The Central Nervous System: Structure and Function

The Central Nervous System: Structure and Function
by Per Brodal (Author)

Univ. of Oslo, Norway. Textbook for medical students provides the basic science linked with clinical application of the central nervous system. Presents clear descriptions of brain structures and relates them to functional properties. Covers new material on the vestibular system and control of eye movements. Numerous two-tone illustrations. Previous edition: c1998.

© 2009 BrightSurf.com