New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Identification Of A Key Molecular Pathway Required For Brain Neural Circuit Formation

Date:
May 18, 2009
Source:
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal
Summary:
Scientists have made a discovery which could help treat spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.
Share:
FULL STORY

The research group of Dr. Frédéric Charron, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), has made a discovery which could help treat spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.

This new finding has been published in the current issue of the scientific journal Neuron. Patricia T. Yam, Sébastien D. Langlois and Steves Morin, all at the IRCM, are listed as co-authors.

The brain is composed of billions of interconnected neurons. To correctly form neuronal circuits, the developing axons (a long extension of a neuron) require attractive and repulsive molecules to lead them to their appropriate targets. One such molecule is Sonic Hedgehog (Shh). Five years ago, as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne at Stanford University, Frédéric Charron discovered that Shh acted as an axonal attractant for brain and spinal cord neurons. "How exactly Shh elicited this effect has remained unknown so far," pointed out Dr. Charron. "The molecular pathway my team discovered provides part of an answer."

Their recent work showed that Shh exerts its attractive effect through a group of molecules called Src family kinases (SFKs) that, until now, were not known to be linked to Shh function. Remarkably, these novel Shh effector molecules are absolutely required for the ability of Shh to guide axons. Connecting axons with an appropriate set of targets is very complex. Inappropriate wiring or damage to these neuronal connections leads to severe abnormalities of the nervous system. "Knowing the effectors of axon guidance molecules such as Shh", adds Dr. Charron, "helps us to understand the molecular mechanisms by which axons reach their target. It paves the way to new therapies to treat spinal cord injuries, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases."

This new discovery was made possible through the invention of a novel technique to control and observe the behavior of axons in response to guidance molecules. A patent application for this technique has been filed recently. This invention is expected to speed up the discovery of drugs that control axon pathfinding.

"Dr. Charron is one of the country's leading newly arrived neuroscientists. This research has important long-term implications for the repair of spinal cord injury: if we knew all of the molecules required to guide axons correctly during spinal cord healing, we would probably know how to heal spinal cord injuries," says Dr. Rod McInnes, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Genetics. "This is beautiful research that adds another major brick to our building a complete understanding of how the spinal cord is made, and how injury of it can be treated."

This work was supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the McGill Program in Neuroengineering, the Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) and the Peter Lougheed Medical Research Foundation.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Yam et al. Sonic Hedgehog Guides Axons through a Noncanonical, Src-Family-Kinase-Dependent Signaling Pathway. Neuron, 2009; 62 (3): 349 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.03.022

Cite This Page:

Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal. "Identification Of A Key Molecular Pathway Required For Brain Neural Circuit Formation." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 May 2009. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090515130707.htm>.
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal. (2009, May 18). Identification Of A Key Molecular Pathway Required For Brain Neural Circuit Formation. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090515130707.htm
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal. "Identification Of A Key Molecular Pathway Required For Brain Neural Circuit Formation." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090515130707.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES