Research published in the Journal of Cell Biology has identified how a bodily protein allows nerves of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) to repair following injury.
Neuroscientists at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry have discovered that protein Merlin is vital to the process by which nerves can repair themselves.
Merlin plays a role in suppressing tumours of the nervous system. The research team had already identified how deficient levels of Merlin contribute to the development of brain tumours and other tumours of the nervous system.
The study identifies new roles for the Merlin protein in the Schwann cells of the PNS using a mouse model. Schwann cells wrap and insulate the nerve cell projections that carry information in and out of the spinal cord and brain. They possess almost unique regenerative properties following injury. Merlin protein directs this repair following damage to the PNS.
Failure of nerve repair relates to activation of protein YAP, in Schwann cells lacking Merlin. Identifying this new pathway in regulating the repair of the PNS may open new potential therapies in cases of trauma and in the age-related decline in PNS repair.
Professor David Parkinson led the study. He is Professor of Neuroscience at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.
Parkinson said: “Peripheral nerve damage has limited treatment options and has a detrimental effect on the lives of those who have sustained it.
“We are very excited by our findings because they identify, for the first time, the mechanisms by which nerve damage repair happens.
“By understanding the mechanism we can develop effective therapies to produce nerve repair in situations where that might not have been an option before.”
The findings bring hope for those who are experiencing peripheral nerve damage as the result of Types 1 and 2 diabetes. Diabetic patients frequently burn and damage their feet and hands due to lack of sensation. In most of these cases the damage is permanent with currently little therapeutic relief.
