PNAS: How to protect neurons and promote their growth

December 18, 2020 // --- From glare to Alzheimer's disease, many neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by axon injuries.
axons are slender protrusions in neuron cells that conduct electrical impulses from one nerve cell to another, facilitating cell communication.
axon damage often leads to neuron damage and cell death.
(Photo Source: Www.pixabay.com) Researchers know that inhibiting an enzyme called dileucine zipper kinase (DLK) appears to protect neurons powerfully in a variety of neurodegenerative disease models, but DLK can also inhibit axon regeneration.
, there is no effective way to modify genes to improve the long-term survival of neurons and promote regeneration.
in a paper published in PNAS on December 14, 2020, a multi-university team led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Shiley Eye Institute at the University of California, San Diego, identified another family of enzymes called raw cell kinase four kinases (GCK).
inhibition of this enzyme has a strong neuro-protective effect, but also can promote axon regeneration, making it an attractive treatment for certain neurodegenerative diseases.
after first producing retinal nerve cells (RGC) from human stem cells, the researchers conducted a series of screenings.
is a neuron located near the inner surface of the retina of the eye.
they receive visual information from the sensor and work together to help transmit that information to the brain.
screening included testing a well-researched set of chemicals to assess their ability to increase RMC survival.
second measure of the chemical's ability to promote regeneration.
then, we use machine learning techniques to understand why some compounds are active, while others are not and identify these key genes.
welsbie and colleagues focused on the RCC because they were interested in optic neuropathy, such as glare.
people only focus on 'eye pressure', " says Welsbie, a director of the Department of Public Health.
" but eye pressure is only part of the problem.
the core of glare is neurodegenerative disease, characterized by the gradual loss of the RDC and its axons, leading to measurable visual and neurological structural and functional impairment, visual impairment and blindness.
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 3 million Americans suffer from glare.
is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
welsbie said it was not clear whether the findings applied to other neuron types, but noted that the work showed strong treatment possibilities.
(Bioon.com) Source: Researchers discover clue to how to protect neurons and encourage their growth Original source: Amit K. Patel el al., "Resion of GCK-IV kinases dissociate cells and axon regeneration in CNS neurons," PNAS (2020).