oligodendrocyte precursor cells

Pathway and Its Proteins Found to Control Myelin Repair, Renewal

A pathway controlled by three proteins ā€” Daam2, Nedd4, and VHL ā€” was identified by researchersĀ as a key regulator of myelin production during central nervous system development and regeneration after injury. Myelin,Ā the protective fatty layer that covers nerve fibers and helps to speed transmission of signals between nerve cells,…

Potential Therapy, Anavex 2-73, Shows Ability to Protect Neurons and Promote Myelin in Early Tests

Anavex Life Sciences‘ investigational therapy Anavex 2-73 (blarcamesine) showed an ability to protect, repair, and induce the formation of oligodendrocytes ā€” the cells that produce the protective myelin layer around neurons ā€” in early cell testing, researchers reported. These findings, which further establish the therapy’s potential as a treatment…

Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells Disrupt Blood-brain Barrier, Trigger Brain Inflammation in MS, Study Shows

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), the cells responsible for myelin production, are unable to migrate into sites of myelin loss in the brain. These cells then cluster and disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB), triggering an inflammatory process in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. The study, ā€œAberrant oligodendroglialā€“vascular interactions disrupt the bloodā€“brain barrier, triggeringĀ CNS inflammation,ā€ was published in the journalĀ Nature Neuroscience. MS is an autoimmune disease characterized by the loss of myelin (demyelination) ā€” the fat-rich substance that protects nerve fibers ā€” which leads to neurodegeneration.Ā Along with loss of myelin, researchers have observed that the blood-brain barrier ā€” a highly selective membrane that shields the central nervous system with its cerebrospinal fluid from the general blood circulation ā€”Ā breaks down in the initial stages of disease. A team led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco,Ā have now discovered that OPCs are involved in the disruption of the blood-brain barrier in MS, according to a press releaseĀ from the National MS Society, which funded the study. Oligodendrocytes are myelin-producing cells and are responsible for myelinating the nerve cellsā€™ axons ā€” a single oligodendrocyte is capable of myelinating multiple axons.Ā Mature myelin-producing oligodendrocytes develop from more immature, stem cell-like OPCs. In a normal brain, upon myelin loss, OPCs are called into action and travel into the damage site where they mature and generate myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. In this study, the researchers found that OPCs in MS form clusters in blood vessels of the brain-blood barrier, having lost the ability to detach from these vessels and migrate to injury sites. In an animal model of MS, they saw that OPC aggregates altered the location of other cells ā€” called astrocytes ā€” in a competition for space, and contributed to the disruption of blood vessels. Astrocytes are a group of star-shaped cells, belonging to the group of glial cells, that provide neurons with energy, and work as a platform to clean up their waste. They also have other functions within the brain, such as regulating blood flow and inflammation. The team also observed that OPC aggregates trigger an immune inflammatory response, shown by a large number of microglia (the central nervous system immune cells) and immune cells called macrophages around these cell clusters. ā€œWe find in several MS cases, in lesion areas with active inflammation, that OPCs can be found clustered on vasculature, representing a defect in single cell perivascular migration and inability to detach from blood vessels,ā€ the researchers wrote. Further molecular analysis revealed that OPCs have high levels of Wnt signaling, and elevated secretion of Wif1 factor to the extracellular space thatĀ could explain why OPCs accumulate and destroy the blood-brain barrier. The WiF1 factor is actually a negative regulator of Wnt signaling that is essential for the maintenance of the blood-brain barrierĀ structure. This factor competes with Wnt ligands, and affects the integrity of cellular junctions, making the blood-brain barrier more fragile and permeable. "Evidence for this defective oligodendroglialā€“vascular interaction in MS suggests that aberrant OPC perivascular migration not only impairs their lesion recruitment but can also act as a disease perpetuator via disruption of the BBB,ā€ the researchers wrote. They suggested that more studies are needed to better understand the interactions between blood vessels and oligodendrocytes, which could help identify new therapeutic targets for promoting myelin repair in MS.

GSK Researchers Identify Potential Target for Therapeutics to Promote MS Remyelination

Researchers at GlaxoSmithKlineĀ (GSK)Ā have identified the histamine receptor 3 (H3R) as a potential new therapeutic target for promoting remyelination in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Their study ā€œHistamine Receptor 3 negatively regulates oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination,ā€ appeared in the journal PLOS One. Regrowth of myelin is known as…

Anavex Life Sciences to Present Preclinical Data on Lead MS Drug Candidate at ACTRIMS 2016

Anavex Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new therapies for neurodegenerative and central nervous system (CNS) diseases, among others, recently announced the presentation of preclinical data forĀ one of its lead drug candidates, ANAVEX2-73, as a multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. The preclinical studyā€™s lead investigator, Dr.

MS Researchers Watch as Myelin-producing Cells Migrate and Mature

Researchers have described the mechanisms by which cell precursors of oligodendrocytes ā€” the cells responsible for the generation of myelin in the central nervous system ā€”Ā migrate from their birthplace to their workplace during brain and spinal cord development, and begin to mature and wrap aboutĀ nerve fibers. The finding, the authors…