加拿大渥太華醫(yī)院研究所和渥太華大學(xué)的科學(xué)家找到了一種全新的刺激肌肉再生的有效方法,，為找到一種新的治療諸如肌肉營養(yǎng)失調(diào)等肌肉衰弱病癥的方法鋪平了道路,。加科學(xué)家的研究首次表明,，一種稱為Wnt7a的蛋白質(zhì)可以提高肌肉組織中干細(xì)胞的數(shù)量，進(jìn)而可以加速骨骼肌的生長和修復(fù),。該項(xiàng)研究發(fā)表在6月5日出版的《細(xì)胞—干細(xì)胞》雜志上,。
干細(xì)胞有助于人體組織和器官的生長。衛(wèi)星干細(xì)胞是特別的肌肉干細(xì)胞,，生活在成年人的骨骼肌肉組織中,，具有復(fù)制和分化成各種不同類型肌肉細(xì)胞的雙重能力。加拿大干細(xì)胞研究網(wǎng)技術(shù)負(fù)責(zé)人,，渥太華醫(yī)院研究所干細(xì)胞研究中心主任,，該項(xiàng)目主要研究人員邁克爾·魯?shù)吕淌陬I(lǐng)導(dǎo)的研究小組發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)Wnt7a蛋白質(zhì)被引入實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠肌肉組織中時(shí),，可以大大提高衛(wèi)星干細(xì)胞的數(shù)量,，加速組織再生過程，生長出體積更大,、力量更強(qiáng)壯的肌肉,。實(shí)驗(yàn)中，肌肉組織的質(zhì)量增加了20%,。
魯?shù)吕淌诒硎?，該?xiàng)發(fā)現(xiàn)表明，今后可以將研究目標(biāo)集中于迅速增加干細(xì)胞數(shù)量,，以使身體提高修復(fù)肌肉組織的能力,。他認(rèn)為，該項(xiàng)發(fā)現(xiàn)為開發(fā)出全新的肌肉萎縮等肌肉類疾病治療方法指明了方向,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Cell Stem Cell,5 June 2009 doi:10.1016/j.stem.2009.03.013
Wnt7a Activates the Planar Cell Polarity Pathway to Drive the Symmetric Expansion of Satellite Stem Cells
Fabien Le Grand1,2,3,Andrew E. Jones1,2,Vanessa Seale1,Anthony Scimè1,2andMichael A. Rudnicki1,2,,
1 Sprott Center for Stem Cell Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Regenerative Medicine Program, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
2 Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
3 Present address: Institut Cochin, INSERM U567, Université Paris Descartes, Paris 75014, France
Satellite cells in skeletal muscle are a heterogeneous population of stem cells and committed progenitors. We found that quiescent satellite stem cells expressed the Wnt receptor Fzd7 and that its candidate ligand Wnt7a was upregulated during regeneration. Wnt7a markedly stimulated the symmetric expansion of satellite stem cells but did not affect the growth or differentiation of myoblasts. Silencing of Fzd7 abrogated Wnt7a binding and stimulation of stem cell expansion. Wnt7a signaling induced the polarized distribution of the planar cell polarity effector Vangl2. Silencing of Vangl2 inhibited Wnt7a action on satellite stem cell expansion. Wnt7a overexpression enhanced muscle regeneration and increased both satellite cell numbers and the proportion of satellite stem cells. Muscle lacking Wnt7a exhibited a marked decrease in satellite cell number following regeneration. Therefore, Wnt7a signaling through the planar cell polarity pathway controls the homeostatic level of satellite stem cells and hence regulates the regenerative potential of muscle.
