Write your abstract here.Newt protein may offer clues for human
regeneration.
November 2, 2007
Newts
and salamanders have long been known for their capability to renew
damaged body parts. Scientists have now identified a protein playing
the significant role in this process of
regeneration. Researchers
working at the University College London (UCL) identified that a
protein called nAG is important for the production of blastema cells,
which regrow the missing body part. The protein is secreted by nerve
and skin cells, and proposed to hold importance for
regenerative medicine. The scientists of the research group which discovered this
key protein said that the results of the study “may hold promise for
future efforts to promote limb regeneration in mammals”LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found a key protein that helps
newts regrow severed limbs and which may guide future research into
human regenerative medicine.
Biologists have long been intrigued by the ability of newts and
salamanders to renew damaged body parts. But how they do it has been
unclear.
Now new research by a British team published on Thursday shows that
a protein called nAG, secreted by nerve and skin cells, plays a central
role in producing a clump of immature cells, known as a blastema, which
regrows the missing part.
The importance of nAG was demonstrated by the fact that even when a
nerve was severed below the stump tip, which would normally prevent
regrowth, the scientists were able to coax regeneration by artificially
making cells produce the protein.
Anoop Kumar and colleagues from University College London (UCL),
writing in the journal Science, said the finding "may hold promise for
future efforts to promote limb regeneration in mammals".
David Stocum of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
said it could help explain why mammals have limited regrowth abilities
and thus help direct the field of regenerative medicine.
IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD
A clear understanding of the molecular signals involved in blastema
formation and limb regeneration could eventually allow medics to
program similar patterns into cells of non-regenerating body parts."How soon this might be possible, particularly in humans, is
anyone''s guess but the addition of nAG to the repertoire of necessary
factors is an important step forward," Stocum said.
In effect, newts are able to manipulate their bodies by turning
cells into undifferentiated stem cells and then back into mature tissue
again.
It is a clever trick -- but understanding how they do it does not
mean humans will necessarily be able to copy them and regrow lost arms
or legs, according to Jeremy Brockes of UCL.
"It would be very desirable for regenerative medicine to understand
the specification of the blastema and to try to recreate that in a
mammalian context. But we are a long way away from being able to do
that," he said in an interview.
Regenerative medicine is a growing area of research, with much of it
centered on stem cells, the master cells that act as a source for
various cells and tissues in the body.