Skip to Content
MIT News magazine

Proteins Linked to Nerve Fiber Development

Research could lead to new treatments for brain injuries, neurodegenerative disorders.
February 19, 2008

When MIT biology ­professor Frank Gertler bred mice missing a certain set of genes, he expected their brain cells to have faulty, misrouted nerve fibers. To his surprise, he saw mutant neurons that looked like fried eggs: the somas–or cell bodies–were intact, but the branchlike dendrites and long, skinny axons were missing.

In a normal mouse embryo (top), after 16.5 days of gestation, axons are visible in red as they extend from the cortex upwards toward a part of the brain known as the internal capsule. In a mouse lacking Ena/Vasp proteins (bottom), the axons fail to grow.

The typical neuron in the cerebral cortex has a single axon, which relays information to other cells, and many shorter dendrites, which receive messages from other cells. The genetically altered mice in the study produced brain cells that were unable to extend any axons or dendrites or to connect with other neurons.

The family of proteins encoded by the three genes Gertler was investigating, known as Ena/Vasp proteins, turns out to play a critical role in the development of nerve fibers. Manipulating these proteins may one day help repair spinal-­column injuries and other damage caused by faulty cell-to-cell connections. “We think that the mechanisms we have begun to unravel might open the door to potential regenerative therapies for neurodegeneration or brain injuries,” Gertler says.

A cell’s shape is determined by its cytoskeleton–the internal pillars and girders that push against the cell membrane. To move and change shape, a cell must remodel its cytoskeleton. “It’s like the cell is reading traffic signals and trying to figure out where to go,” Gertler says. Ena/Vasp proteins are the navigators for nerve outgrowths called neurites, the precursors to axons and dendrites.

The proteins are located in the tips of a neurite’s filopodia–short extensions that receive environmental signals and translate them into instructions for the cell. Those instructions tell the cell either to continue extending the filopodia, by lengthening protein filaments, or to stop growth.

“This is one of the first studies that uncover the early steps in how a differentiated neuron begins to acquire its unique morphology,” Gertler says.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI

The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models. 

Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist

An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.

The Biggest Questions: What is death?

New neuroscience is challenging our understanding of the dying process—bringing opportunities for the living.

Driving companywide efficiencies with AI

Advanced AI and ML capabilities revolutionize how administrative and operations tasks are done.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.