PNAs: a new breakthrough in stroke! Scientists find key proteins that help the brain repair after a stroke!

February 14, 2019 / BIOON / - every 40 seconds, one person in the United States will have a stroke and receive treatment to reduce the degree of brain damage Now researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of medicine and other institutions have found that a brain protein called uchl1 may be crucial for how nerve cells repair themselves after a stroke The study, carried out in animal models, opened up a new way to develop new drugs for the repair process to enhance stroke repair Source: PNAs "although traditional stroke therapies are effective, they must be performed within a few hours after stroke, but most patients cannot receive them in time So there is an urgent need for new methods to enhance the rehabilitation process of patients within a few days after stroke " Steven Graham, Ph.D., Professor of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of medicine and co-author of the study "We think we've found a key protein that determines the brain's post-stroke repair process, which makes it a target for drugs that enhance stroke recovery." Uchl1 is a highly active enzyme in the brain, which plays a key role in the process of removing abnormal proteins Mutations in the gene encoding uchl1 may lead to human motor dysfunction In the past, Graham's lab found that the cyclopentanone prostaglandins (cypgs) released by neurons after stroke can combine with uchl1 to inhibit its function So Graham worked with his unit's associate professor of Neurology, Dr Feng Zhang, to find out exactly what role uchl1 plays in stroke The researchers created a mouse model in which they inserted a mutant of the uchl1 gene into the mouse genome to prevent cypgs from binding They then operated on normal mice and genetically engineered mice to simulate the stroke process and compare the responses of the two neurons It was found that preventing cypgs from combining with uchl1 could reduce the number of damaged axons Further experiments found that maintaining the activity of uchl1 after stroke can help maintain the function of neurons and brain tissue, which is accomplished by activating the cellular mechanism of rapidly clearing damaged proteins to prevent further neuronal damage The mice with uchl1 mutation were able to walk, maintain balance and recover other motor functions "While most stroke therapies focus on preventing neuronal death, maintaining axon integrity and reducing white pulp injury are equally important for rehabilitation." Graham said "Uchl1 plays a key role in this process." Graham and his colleagues are now looking for drugs that can prevent cypgs from binding to uchl1 by intravenous injection or that can replace damaging uchl1 Reference: Hao Liu El Al., "role of uchl1 in axial intervention and functional recovery after cerebral ischemia," PNAs (2019) Www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1821282116