Interpretation of Down Syndrome by Chinese Scholars

Dscam protein is also known as Down's syndrome cell adhesion molecule. In patients with Down's syndrome, the gene encoding the protein will be defective. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed the mechanism that regulates the Dscam protein, demonstrating the effect of this gene abnormality on neural development.

According to statistics, one out of every 830 newborns in the United States has Down syndrome, and currently about 250,000 people in the United States have this disease. Under normal circumstances, a baby's neurons undergo a critical phase when they are born, namely the extension and branching phases of neuronal processes. During this period, neurons express Dscam protein at high levels, and the synthesis of this protein will gradually decrease thereafter. However, in Down syndrome, epilepsy, and other neurological diseases, the Dscam level in the patient's brain has always been high.

Although Dscam protein is important in many aspects of neurodevelopment, people do not understand the mechanism that regulates the expression of this protein, and it is unclear what consequences will occur when regulation fails.

Bing Ye, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, has studied fruit flies. He found that the level of Dscam protein in the neuron determines the size of the neuron protrusion before the neuron makes contact with other cells. Dscam protein overexpression can generate abnormally large neuronal processes.

In addition, Dr. Ye Bing identified two molecular pathways that regulate Dscam abundance, namely bisleucine zipper kinase DLK involved in nerve regeneration, and fragile X mental retardation protein FMRP (FMRP deficiency will cause fragile X syndrome). Studies have shown that the DLK and FMRP pathways jointly regulate the expression of Dscam by controlling protein translation. The DLK pathway promotes the synthesis of Dscam protein, while the FMRP pathway inhibits the synthesis of Dscam protein. Since humans and Drosophila share these genes, the DLK-FMRP-Dscam mechanism may become a potential target for treatment.

Neurological diseases such as Down syndrome involve many genes, and their molecular pathogenesis is very complicated. "Dscam has an important role in neuronal development, and its related defects are likely to have an important impact on Down syndrome, and the use of this for treatment is promising," said Dr. Ye Bing.

Dr. Ye Bing graduated from Nanjing University with a master's degree from the Shanghai Institute of Physiology, and later obtained a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. Next, he plans to overexpress Dscam in mice and analyze its effects on nervous system development and animal behavior.

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