Neuregulin in neuron/glial interactions in the central nervous system. GGF2 diminishes autoimmune demyelination, promotes oligodendrocyte progenitor expansion, and enhances remyelination.

Abstract

Glial growth factor 2 (GGF2) is a neuronal signal that promotes the proliferation and survival of the oligodendrocyte, the myelinating cell of the central nervous system (CNS). This study has focused on recombinant human GGF2 (rhGGF2) and it's potential to affect clinical recovery and repair to damaged myelin in chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the mouse, a major animal model for the human demyelinating disease, multiple sclerosis (MS). Mice with EAE were treated with rhGGF2 during both the acute and relapsing phases, and GGF2 treatment led to delayed signs, decreased severity and resulted in statistically significant reductions in relapse rate. Further, rhGGF2-treated groups displayed CNS lesions with more remyelination than in controls. This correlated with increased expression of myelin basic protein exon 2, a marker for remyelination, and with an increase of the regulatory cytokine, IL-10. Thus, a beneficial effect of a neurotrophic growth factor has been demonstrated upon the clinical, pathologic and molecular manifestations of autoimmune demyelination, an effect that was associated with increased expression of a Th2 cytokine. rhGGF2 treatment may represent a novel approach to the treatment of MS (Cannella et al., 1998).

• Authors: M A Marchionni, B Cannella, C Hoban, Y L Gao, R Garcia-Arenas, D Lawson, E Happel, F Noel, P Tofilon, D Gwynne, C S Raine
• Journal: Advances in experimental medicine and biology (Adv Exp Med Biol) Vol. 468 Pg. 283-95 ( 1999) ISSN: 0065-2598 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10635037 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• NRG1 protein, human
• Nerve Tissue Proteins
• Neuregulin-1
• Nrg1 protein, mouse
• Recombinant Proteins

Topics

• Animals
• Brain (drug effects, pathology, physiopathology)
• Cell Communication (drug effects)
• Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental (drug therapy, pathology, physiopathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred Strains
• Multiple Sclerosis (pathology, physiopathology)
• Myelin Sheath (drug effects, physiology)
• Nerve Regeneration (drug effects)
• Nerve Tissue Proteins
• Neuregulin-1 (pharmacology, physiology)
• Neuroglia (drug effects, physiology)
• Neurons (drug effects, physiology)
• Oligodendroglia (drug effects, physiology)
• Recombinant Proteins (pharmacology)
• Spinal Cord (drug effects, pathology, physiopathology)
• Stem Cells (drug effects, physiology)