Vitamin D Could Repair Nerve Damage in Multiple Sclerosis

A protein activated by vitamin D could be involved in repairing damage to myelin in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study, published today in the Journal of Cell Biology, offers significant evidence that vitamin D could be a possible treatment for MS in the future.

Researchers, from the MS Society Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair, identified that the ‘vitamin D receptor’ protein pairs with an existing protein, called the RXR gamma receptor, already known to be involved in the repair of myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres.

By adding vitamin D to brain stem cells where the proteins were present, they found the production rate of oligodendrocytes (myelin making cells) increased by 80%. When they blocked the vitamin D receptor to stop it from working, the RXR gamma protein alone was unable to stimulate the production of oligodendrocytes.

Read more: Vitamin D Could Repair Nerve Damage in Multiple Sclerosis

Neuron with oligodendrocyte and myelin sheath (edited)

Source: scitechconnect/Andrew c

Scissor protein responsible for cancer spread

Aggressive cancer cells have been found to express higher amounts of a certain protein by scientists at the University of Bergen.

PITPNC1 controls a process where cancer cells secrete molecules which cut through proteins outside cell walls like scissors. This allows the cancerous cells to then enter the tissue and begin dividing and multiplying at a new site.

Dr Nils Halberg, a researcher at the University of Bergen said: “We discovered that the aggressive cancer cells that are spreading in colon, breast, and skin cancer contained a much higher portion of the protein PITPNC1, than the non-aggressive cancer cells.”

Using this knowledge, scientists can predict which cancer cells are becoming more aggressive and are likely to metastasize.

Read more: Scissor protein responsible for cancer spread

Source: labnews