Ion Channels in Regulation of Neuronal Regenerative Activities

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Dongdong Chen, Emory University; Shan Ping Yu, Emory University; Ling Wei, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-02-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag (Germany)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12975-013-0320-z
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Translational Stroke Research
• ISSN: 1868-4483
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 156
• End Page: 162
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by NIH grant NS057255; the American Heart Association (AHA) Grant-in-Aid Award GRNT12060222; and an AHA Established Investigator Award.
• Keywords: NERVE GROWTH; Clinical Neurology; ISCHEMIC-STROKE; Migration; Neurogenesis; Science & Technology; MESENCHYMAL STEM-CELLS; NEURAL PRECURSORS; CALCIUM-CHANNELS; CEREBRAL-ISCHEMIA; Ion channels; OPERATED CA2+; Stroke; K+ CHANNEL; Proliferation; NEURITE OUTGROWTH; Neurosciences & Neurology; Neurosciences; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; CHEMOTROPIC GUIDANCE
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

The regeneration of the nervous system is achieved by the regrowth of damaged neuronal axons, the restoration of damaged nerve cells, and the generation of new neurons to replace those that have been lost. In the central nervous system, the regenerative ability is limited by various factors including damaged oligodendrocytes that are essential for neuronal axon myelination, an emerging glial scar, and secondary injury in the surrounding areas. Stem cell transplantation therapy has been shown to be a promising approach to treat neurodegenerative diseases because of the regenerative capability of the stem cells that secrete neurotrophic factors and give rise to differentiated progeny. However, some issues of stem cell transplantation, such as survival, homing, and efficiency of neural differentiation after transplantation, still need to be improved. Ion channels allow for the exchange of ions between the intra- and extracellular spaces or between the cytoplasm and organelles. These ion channels maintain the ion homeostasis in the brain and play a key role in regulating the physiological function of the nervous system and allowing the processing of neuronal signals. In seeking a potential strategy to enhance the efficacy of stem cell therapy in neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, this review briefly summarizes the roles of ion channels in cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, chemotropic axon guidance of growth cones, and axon outgrowth after injury.