Protein key to neuro-regeneration

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Protein key to neuro-regeneration

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/tpco-pkt052008.php

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. 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. "