Latest news on the role of angiogenin in MND
A research study conducted by Dr Vasanta Subramanian and colleagues at the University of Bath have moved scientists closer to understanding why variations in the angiogenin gene may contribute to motor neurone death in MND.
What is angiogenin?
Angiogenin is one of a group of proteins known as neurotrophic factors. Neurotrophic factors (literally meaning nerve nourishing factors) play an important role in the development of the nervous system in early life and in protecting the existing neurones in adulthood. In particular, angiogenin triggers the growth of new blood vessels in response to low oxygen levels in the body.
What have the researchers discovered?
They have uncovered how genetic variations in the instructions to make angiogenin change the function of the protein. In laboratory models of developing neurones, Dr Subramanian has shown that variations of angiogenin found in some people with MND do not have the same neuroprotective properties as the version of angiogenin found in unaffected people.
How does this research build on previous work?
These results add more pieces of the jigsaw to this emerging area of MND research. It was in 2001 that researchers first uncovered a link between neurotrophic factors linked to the growth of new blood vessels and motor neurone disease. The first protein to be linked to MND was a protein called VEGF. Since then, researchers have found specific variations in either the Angiogenin gene or the VEGF gene in people living with MND. Also, laboratory research has shown that increasing the levels of the normal VEGF protein increases survival in animal models of MND.
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