Multiple sclerosis and cell aging
Stem cells of the nervous system in patients with multiple sclerosis age faster
Alexey Yevglevsky, Naked Science
Understanding this mechanism may contribute to a more effective treatment of the progressive form of multiple sclerosis.
Researchers from the UConn Health Medical Center in Farmington (USA), using the example of oligodendrocytes, have shown the cause of progressive multiple sclerosis. Its identification may help in the creation of medicines. The work was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Nicaise et al., Cellular senescence in progenitor cells contributes to diminished remyelination potential in progressive multiple sclerosis).
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the myelin sheath of the fibers of the central nervous system in the brain and spinal cord is affected.
The myelin sheath is an electrically insulating coating that consists of 80 percent lipids and 20 percent proteins. It reduces ion leakage and cell membrane capacity.
The authors refer to their previous studies in which they determined that neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) of patients with progressive MS do not contribute to the maturation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Oligodendrocytes are the cells that produce the myelin sheath, thereby isolating axons.
A new study by physiologists has shown that neuronal progenitor cells of patients with progressive MS age faster compared to the same cells of a healthy person. According to one of the authors Stephen Crocker (Stephen Crocker), cited in the press release of the University of Connecticut Study: Brain Stem Cells Age Faster in MS Patients, they look decades older than similar cells of healthy people.
Scientists have also found out that aged stem cells produce a large amount of HMGB1 protein, due to which oligodendrocytes begin to express different genes. Therefore, there is a failure in the production of the myelin sheath, which leads to a violation of the coordination of movements and many other symptoms. Blocking this protein contributed to the normal growth of oligodendrocytes. Based on this mechanism, scientists plan to build a therapy that will help patients with progressive MS to suspend the course of the disease.
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