A new study conducted by a team of researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) found a new pathway involved in neuronal regeneration. The BUSM researchers observed that they could alter neuronal metabolism by changing the levels of sugars that cover the surface of proteins (called O-GlcNAc modifications); and therefore, they were able to significantly enhance neuronal regeneration after injury. This discovery may help opening new lines of research to managing brain and spinal cord injuries.
The study, published in Cell Reports, used animal models which O-GlcNAc levels were absent or abundant. Then, they produce injures to individual neurons using a laser in each of the models, and measured the neuronal regeneration.
Interestingly, the researchers found that both increased and decreased levels of O-GlcNAc enhanced neuronal regeneration. The researchers also found that this may be the result of a change in the metabolism of the neuron during regeneration, demonstrating the importance of O-GlcNAc in coordinating the response to neuronal injury and its regeneration.
The research may open the possibility to develop new treatments for conditions like spinal cord injuries. “Using this as a model, we can now find other genes or drugs that act on metabolism to ultimately enhance regeneration and recovery after traumatic neuronal injury,” explained corresponding author Christopher V. Gabel, PhD, associate professor of Physiology and Biophysics at BUSM.
Source: Science Daily
