Anti-stroke protein
A protein that promotes recovery after a stroke has been identified
Alexey Yevglevsky, Naked Science
Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center conducted experiments on mice that allowed them to isolate a protein that promotes better recovery of nerve cells after a stroke. The work was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Liu el al., Role of UCHL1 in axonal injury and functional recovery after cerebral ischemia).
The lead author of the article is Steven Graham he spoke about the significance of the study:
"Traditional therapies that we use for stroke are very effective, but during their use, the bill goes by the clock. Unfortunately, this speed of treatment is not available to most patients. Therefore, we are looking for new approaches that would improve recovery a few days after a stroke. We believe we have found a protein that can be the basis for this approach."
The enzyme UCHL1 is a protein that cleanses the body of non–standard proteins. Previous studies by the authors have shown that fatty acid molecules called cyclopentenone prostaglandins (CyPgs) appear in nerve cells after a stroke, bind to UCHL1 and disrupt its functioning. Now scientists have set up an experiment on mice to find out how the protein will behave if CyPgs is "turned off".
They bred genetically modified mice. In them, an altered version of the UCHL1 gene produced a protein resistant to CyPgs. At the same time, there was a control group of common rodents. Biologists simulated a stroke in all the subjects, and then observed the recovery of both groups.
In the first mice, they noticed fewer damaged axons after a stroke compared to control animals. Further experiments showed that proteins deprived of the effects of CyPgs activated cellular repair mechanisms, thanks to which damaged proteins were eliminated. This process prevented further loss of neurons. In addition, the experimental mice recovered motor functions faster.
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