I bet there will be no followup because we have NO stroke leadership or stroke strategy.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170309/Researcher-shows-how-natural-molecule-can-promote-axon-repair.aspx
A foray into plant biology led one researcher to discover that a
natural molecule can repair axons, the thread-like projections that
carry electrical signals between cells. Axonal damage is the major
culprit underlying disability in conditions such as spinal cord injury
and stroke.
Andrew Kaplan, a PhD candidate at the Montreal Neurological Institute
and Hospital of McGill University, was looking for a pharmacological
approach to axon regeneration, with a focus on 14-3-3, a family of
proteins with neuroprotective functions that have been under
investigation in the laboratory of Dr. Alyson Fournier, professor of
neurology and neurosurgery and senior author on the study.
During his search, he found research describing how plants respond to
a specific type of fungal infection. When plants are exposed to
fusicoccin-A, a small molecule produced by a certain strain of fungus,
the leaves of the plant wilt but the roots grow longer. Fusicoccin-A
affects 14-3-3 activity by stabilizing its interactions with other
proteins.
"While
14-3-3 is the common denominator in this phenomenon, the identity of
the other proteins involved and the resulting biological activities
differ between plants and animals," says Kaplan.
Kaplan theorized that fusicoccin-A could be an effective way of
harnessing 14-3-3 to repair axons. To test this theory, he and his
fellow researchers treated mechanically damaged neurons in culture with
the molecule and observed the results.
"When I looked under the microscope the following day the axons were
growing like weeds, an exciting result that led us to determine that
fusicoccin-A can stimulate axon repair in the injured nervous system,"
says Kaplan.
Besides brain and spinal cord injury, axonal damage is a factor in
many other disorders and diseases, including multiple sclerosis and
neurodegenerative conditions. The team's discovery means that
fusicoccin-A and similar molecules could be the starting point to
develop drugs that treat axonal damage. Kaplan says future work should
focus on better understanding the mechanisms by which fusicoccin-A
improves axon repair.
In particular, a protein called GCN1 holds promise. The team found
that the physical bonding of 14-3-3 and GCN1 is an important factor in
fusicoccin-A-induced axon growth. Now scientists can examine the
function of GCN1 in the nervous system and test whether the bonding with
14-3-3 could serve as a drug target for more tailored therapies.
"We have identified a novel strategy to promote axon regeneration
with a family of small molecules that may be excellent candidates for
future drug development," says Fournier. "This is an exciting advance
because the field has struggled to find treatments and identify targets
for drugs that stimulate axon repair."
No comments:
Post a Comment