Proteins key to brain function

Washington, Nov 20 (Xinhua) US researchers have identified a family of proteins key to the formation of the communication networks critical for normal brain function. Their research could lead to new treatments for brain injury and disease.

The team, led by MIT biology professor Frank Gertler, found that a certain family of proteins, known as the Ena/VASP proteins, is necessary to direct the formation of axons and dendrites -- the cellular extensions that facilitate communication between neurons.

Their findings were reported in the latest online edition of Nature Cell Biology, a journal that publishes papers in all areas of cell biology with special emphasis on studies on molecular mechanism.

The work focuses on cellular outgrowths called neurites, which are the precursors to axons and dendrites. Understanding how neurites form could eventually lead to therapies involving stimulation of neurite growth, said Gertler.

"You could use these insights to help repair injuries to the top of the spinal column, or treat brain injuries or neurodegenerative disorders," he said.

The majority of neurons in the cerebral cortex have a single axon -- a long, thin extension that relays information to other cells -- and many shorter dendrites, which receive messages from other cells. The interconnection of these axons and dendrites is essential to create a functional neural circuit.

In their study, the researchers found that mice without the three Ena/VASP proteins did produce brain cells, but those neurons were unable to extend any axons or dendrites.

It was already known that Ena/VASP proteins are involved in axon navigation, but the researchers were surprised to find that they are also critical for neurite formation, Gertler said.

Without the Ena/VASP proteins, neurites cannot form, and no connections are made between neurons.

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