Increasing the activity of the gene encoding the so-called The death receptor 6 (DR6) in the brain prevents tissue damaged by multiple sclerosis (MS) from repairing, US scientists report in the journal Nature Medicine.
The discovery has the potential to help develop new types of therapies for MS patients.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune chronic disease of the central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord – overstimulated cells of the immune system destroy the myelin, which forms the sheaths that isolate nerve fibers. The result of the destruction of the sheaths are disturbances in signal transmission, and the symptoms of the disease include visual disturbances, balance disorders, numbness in the limbs, and difficulties with walking.
The Sha Mi team at Biogen Idec showed that the DR6 receptor is overactive in the brain tissue of people with MS and in rats, an animal model of the disease.
Scientists suspect that DR6 causes the death of young oligodendrocytes – cells that are involved in the formation of myelin. The use of anti-DR6 antibodies in rats with MS allowed for the efficient operation of oligondendrocytes, repair of myelin, and improved the symptoms of the disease. (PAP)