Browse the latest research summaries in the field of genetics for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 21-30 of 1,773 results
Mol Nutr Food Res, 2011 • September 1, 2011
Acrolein, an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde, is a ubiquitous pollutant that is also produced endogenously through lipid peroxidation. Acrolein may overwhelm the anti-oxidative systems of any cell by depleti...
KEY FINDING: Acrolein is significantly more toxic than other aldehydes like HNE, causing membrane disruption at much lower concentrations.
Muscle Nerve, 2011 • October 1, 2011
This study used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach to identify genetic susceptibility loci in patients with severe statin myopathy compared to a statin-tolerant group. Replication studies...
KEY FINDING: Three SNPs (rs9342288, rs1337512 and rs3857532) in the EYS gene on chromosome 6 are suggestively associated with risk for severe statin myopathy.
BMC Developmental Biology, 2011 • August 16, 2011
This study introduces the leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius, as a laboratory model for studying regeneration, highlighting its tail autotomy and regeneration capabilities. The research establishes...
KEY FINDING: Tail regeneration in leopard geckos involves a conserved sequence of events, allowing for the creation of a staging table.
Trends Cell Biol, 2011 • October 1, 2011
The nematode C. elegans has emerged as a genetically tractable model for studying axon regeneration. Laser axotomy allows for precise severing of axons, and large-scale genetic screens have identified...
KEY FINDING: DLK-1, a conserved MAPKKK, is essential for axon regeneration in motor and mechanosensory neurons. Overexpression of DLK-1 is sufficient to enhance regenerative growth, making it a rate-limiting switch.
PLoS ONE, 2011 • September 16, 2011
This study explores the role of long-distance signals and the spinal cord during tadpole tail regeneration using laser ablation and geometric morphometrics. The findings suggest that an undamaged spin...
KEY FINDING: Damage to the dorsal midline, particularly the spinal cord, affects regenerate morphology up to 24 hours post-amputation.
PLoS ONE, 2011 • September 21, 2011
This study investigates the role of microglia in axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) and identifies RGMa as a key molecule mediating the inhibitory effects of activated microglia on axo...
KEY FINDING: Activated microglia inhibit neurite outgrowth and induce growth cone collapse of cortical neurons in vitro, but only when there is direct contact between microglia and neurons.
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol, 2012 • February 1, 2012
This study isolated and characterized two forms of the rem2 gene, designated O. mykiss rem2a and rem2b, from the adult rainbow trout. The presence of Rem2 isoforms in rainbow trout is not unexpected a...
KEY FINDING: The study describes the first isolation of two alternate forms of Rem2 in a non-mammalian species, the rainbow trout, and presents the complete characterization of the cDNAs for both rem2 genes. Also, the tissue specificity of both rem2 genes and their expression profiles across major regions of the CNS were compared.
The Journal of Neuroscience, 2011 • October 12, 2011
This study identifies a novel signaling mechanism in axonal guidance, where the chemoattractant Netrin-1 and its receptor DCC couple with SNARE proteins (Sytx1 and TI-VAMP) to regulate membrane turnov...
KEY FINDING: The Netrin-1 receptor DCC forms a protein complex with the t-SNARE protein Syntaxin-1 (Sytx1) in a Netrin-1-dependent manner.
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 2011 • September 29, 2011
This study investigated changes in gene expression in the sensorimotor cortex of rats following spinal cord injury (SCI) and treatment with an anti-scarring treatment (AST). Microarray analysis reveal...
KEY FINDING: Spinal cord injury induces significant changes in cortical gene expression as early as 1 day post-injury, with a peak at 21 days.
PLoS ONE, 2011 • October 14, 2011
This study investigates the role of histone deacetylases (HDACs) in Xenopus tadpole tail regeneration. It demonstrates that HDAC activity, particularly that of HDAC1, is required for the early stages ...
KEY FINDING: HDAC1 is expressed during the first two days of tail regeneration in mesenchymal cells of the regeneration bud.