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Neurotrophic factors in diabetic neuropathy
Author(s) -
Tomlinson D. R.,
Burnand R. C.,
Price S. A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.85.s2.14_1.x
Subject(s) - neurotrophic factors , neuroscience , neurotrophin , sonic hedgehog , diabetic neuropathy , biology , phenotype , medicine , diabetes mellitus , bioinformatics , endocrinology , gene , genetics , receptor
Dysfunctional switches in neuronal phenotype are at the root of diabetic neuropathy and many aspects of neuronal phenotype are maintained by neurotrophic influences. Thus the failure of these and their mediating signals are fundamental to understanding and controlling the condition. In experimental diabetes, failure of the C fiber phenotype is secondary to reduced neurotrophic regulation by nerve growth factor (NGF). We have performed gene array profiling to identify candidate genes for other neurotrophic factors. This reveals sonic hedgehog as a neurotrophic regulator, with the capacity to maintain nerve conduction velocity in the normal range and to maintain normal gene expression for a range of influential candidate genes. As all known targets for sonic hedgehog are transcription dependent, this implicates impaired gene expression, rather than disturbed physiology, in the nerve conduction defects of diabetes and suggest the most successful method of prevention of the condition.