Riattivare le cellule staminali che invecchiano nel cervello / Reactivating Aging Stem Cells in the Brain
Riattivare le cellule staminali che invecchiano nel cervello / Reactivating Aging Stem Cells in the Brain
Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa / Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa
Distribuzione del danno cellulare dipendente dall'età
Uno studio condotto dal gruppo di ricerca di Sebastian Jessberger, professore presso il Brain Research Institute dell'Università di Zurigo, mostra come la formazione di nuovi neuroni sia compromessa con l'avanzare dell'età. Le strutture proteiche nei nuclei delle cellule staminali neurali assicurano che le proteine nocive che si accumulano nel tempo siano distribuite in modo non uniforme sulle due cellule figlie durante la divisione cellulare. Questa sembra essere una parte importante della capacità delle cellule di proliferare a lungo per mantenere la fornitura di neuroni. Con l'avanzare dell'età, tuttavia, la quantità di proteine nucleiche cambia, determinando una distribuzione difettosa delle proteine nocive tra le due cellule figlie. Ciò si traduce in una diminuzione del numero di neuroni di nuova generazione nel cervello dei topi più anziani.
L'elemento centrale in questo processo è una proteina nucleare chiamata lamina B1, i cui livelli diminuiscono con l'avanzare dell'età. Quando i ricercatori hanno aumentato i livelli di lamin B1 in esperimenti su topi anziani, la divisione delle cellule staminali è migliorata ed il numero di nuovi neuroni è cresciuto. "Con l'avanzare dell'età, le cellule staminali in tutto il corpo perdono gradualmente la loro capacità di proliferare. Utilizzando l'ingegneria genetica e la tecnologia dei microscopi all'avanguardia, siamo stati in grado di identificare un meccanismo associato a questo processo", afferma il dottorando e primo autore Khadeesh bin Imtiaz.
Arrestare il processo di invecchiamento delle cellule staminali
La ricerca fa parte di diversi progetti in corso volti a riattivare le cellule staminali che invecchiano. La capacità di rigenerare i tessuti danneggiati generalmente diminuisce con l'età, influenzando così quasi tutti i tipi di cellule staminali del corpo. "Sebbene il nostro studio fosse limitato alle cellule staminali cerebrali, è probabile che meccanismi simili giochino un ruolo chiave quando si tratta del processo di invecchiamento di altre cellule staminali", afferma Sebastian Jessberger.
Questi ultimi risultati sono un passo importante verso l'esplorazione dei cambiamenti dipendenti dall'età nel comportamento delle cellule staminali. "Ora sappiamo che possiamo riattivare le cellule staminali che invecchiano nel cervello. La nostra speranza è che questi risultati aiuteranno un giorno ad aumentare i livelli di neurogenesi, ad esempio nelle persone anziane o in coloro che soffrono di malattie degenerative come l'Alzheimer. Anche se questo può ancora avvenire tra molti anni nel futuro, "
ENGLISH
The stem cells in our brain generate new neurons throughout life, for example in the hippocampus. This region of the brain plays a key role for a range of memory processes. With increasing age, and in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the hippocampus' ability to create new neurons declines steadily - and with it, its memory functions.
Distribution of age-dependent cell damage
A study conducted by the research group of Sebastian Jessberger, a professor at the Brain Research Institute of the University of Zurich, shows how the formation of new neurons is impaired with advancing age. Protein structures in the nuclei of neural stem cells make sure that harmful proteins accumulating over time are unevenly distributed onto the two daughter cells during cell division. This seems to be an important part of the cells' ability to proliferate over a long time in order to maintain the supply of neurons. With advancing age, however, the amounts of nucleic proteins change, resulting in defective distribution of harmful proteins between the two daughter cells. This results in a decrease in the numbers of newly generated neurons in the brains of older mice.
The central element in this process is a nuclear protein called lamin B1, the levels of which decrease as people age. When the researchers increased lamin B1 levels in experiments in aging mice, stem cell division improved and the number of new neurons grew. "As we get older, stem cells throughout the body gradually lose their ability to proliferate. Using genetic engineering and cutting-edge microscope technology, we were able to identify a mechanism that is associated with this process," says doctoral candidate and first author Khadeesh bin Imtiaz.
Halting the aging process of stem cells
The research is part of several ongoing projects aiming to reactivate aging stem cells. The ability to regenerate damaged tissue generally declines with age, thus affecting almost all types of stem cells in the body. "While our study was limited to brain stem cells, similar mechanisms are likely to play a key role when it comes to the aging process of other stem cells," says Sebastian Jessberger.
These latest findings are an important step towards exploring age-dependent changes in the behavior of stem cells. "We now know that we can reactivate aging stem cells in the brain. Our hope is that these findings will one day help increase levels of neurogenesis, for example in older people or those suffering from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Even if this may still be many years in the future," says Jessberger.
Distribution of age-dependent cell damage
A study conducted by the research group of Sebastian Jessberger, a professor at the Brain Research Institute of the University of Zurich, shows how the formation of new neurons is impaired with advancing age. Protein structures in the nuclei of neural stem cells make sure that harmful proteins accumulating over time are unevenly distributed onto the two daughter cells during cell division. This seems to be an important part of the cells' ability to proliferate over a long time in order to maintain the supply of neurons. With advancing age, however, the amounts of nucleic proteins change, resulting in defective distribution of harmful proteins between the two daughter cells. This results in a decrease in the numbers of newly generated neurons in the brains of older mice.
The central element in this process is a nuclear protein called lamin B1, the levels of which decrease as people age. When the researchers increased lamin B1 levels in experiments in aging mice, stem cell division improved and the number of new neurons grew. "As we get older, stem cells throughout the body gradually lose their ability to proliferate. Using genetic engineering and cutting-edge microscope technology, we were able to identify a mechanism that is associated with this process," says doctoral candidate and first author Khadeesh bin Imtiaz.
Halting the aging process of stem cells
The research is part of several ongoing projects aiming to reactivate aging stem cells. The ability to regenerate damaged tissue generally declines with age, thus affecting almost all types of stem cells in the body. "While our study was limited to brain stem cells, similar mechanisms are likely to play a key role when it comes to the aging process of other stem cells," says Sebastian Jessberger.
These latest findings are an important step towards exploring age-dependent changes in the behavior of stem cells. "We now know that we can reactivate aging stem cells in the brain. Our hope is that these findings will one day help increase levels of neurogenesis, for example in older people or those suffering from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Even if this may still be many years in the future," says Jessberger.
Da:
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