Expression profile of EphA receptors after spinal cord injury in adult rats

Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 07 Apr 2005 - 3:00 PDT

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Researchers are looking at molecular activities that occur early in development that "come back" after trauma, such as a spinal cord lesion.

They observed such genetic "reexpression" in spinal cord injury.

Knowing the expression profile of EphA3, A4 and A7 receptors, they are looking at their specific contribution toward regeneration. When they "shut down" the three receptors effect at the same time they observed a better locomotor activity at the acute phase of animal recovery.

Lillian Cruz-Orengo1, Johnny Davis Figueroa1, Ixane Velázquez1, Margarita Irizarry-Ramírez1, Christopher A Willson2, Hope Jones2, Scott R Whittemore2, Jorge David Miranda1. 1Physiology, UPR School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center Neurological Surgery. Physiology 924.3. Featured topic session #895: "Long-term plasticity and SCI."

Funding: NIH (SNRP, others), State of Kentucky (KSCHIRT), Norton Health Care, American Psychological Association

The 35th Congress of the International Union of Physiological Sciences is in San Diego, March 31 - April 5, 2005. The Congress (http://www.iups2005.org) is organized by the six member societies of the U.S. National Committee of the IUPS, the American Physiological Society, the Society for Neuroscience, the Microcirculatory Society, the Society of General Physiologists, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, under the auspices of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

The IUPS conference, held every four years, runs concurrently this year with Experimental Biology 2005 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Abstracts for all presentations may be accessed through a complete searchable online program at faseb.org/meetings/eb2005/call/default.htm covering both IUPS and Experimental Biology 2005, which is being held concurrently.

The American Physiological Society (APS), which is hosting IUPS, was founded in 1887 to foster basic and applied science, much of it relating to human health. The Bethesda, MD-based Society has more than 10,000 members and publishes nearly 4,000 articles every year in its 14 peer-reviewed journals. In May, APS received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).

Contact: Mayer Resnick
mresnick@the-aps.org
301-332-4402 (cell)
619-525-6228 (Telephone)
301-634-7209 (office, outside IUPS dates)
The American Physiological Society
http://www.the-aps.org

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