Re: (mentions CMT) Protein key to neuro-regeneration

[Guest guest]

Wow!!

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> Protein key to neuro-regeneration

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> http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=35988598

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> 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.

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> 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.

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> 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.

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> 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.

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> 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.

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> 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.

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> 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.

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> 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.

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