The effect of dystrophin on neuron development in the Central Nervous System - Essay Example

The DMD is the human gene responsible for providing instructions for making dystrophin. Dystrophin is located in muscles such as cardiac muscles (heart) and skeletal muscles (movement). Small amounts of this hormone are present in the brain specifically in the nerve cells. In cardiac and skeletal muscles, this protein hormone is part of a protein complex which work together to protect and strengthen muscle fibers from injury during contraction and relaxation of the muscles (Hart 23). Dystrophin complex often act as an anchor for connecting each framework of the cells of the muscle with protein lattice and other extracellular matrix.

Dystrophin may also play an important role in cell signaling through interacting with proteins which receive and send chemical signals. Little is known so far concerning the functions of dystrophin complex in nerve cells (Hart 24). Some studies have suggested that it plays an important role in the normal functioning of synapses and structure, which are specialized connections existing between nerve cells where the occurrence of cell-cell occurs. In this paper, the focus of ascertaining the effect of dystrophin on neuron development in the Central Nervous System According to Shan and Lihsia (13) dystrophin protein plays an integral role in maintaining muscle membrane integrity.

Shan and Lihsia showed that accompanying neuropsychiatric disorder and cognitive impairment often presented in most of the DMD proteins suggests that dystrophin plays an integral role in membrane-cytoskeleton function. The study involved growing c.elegans strains on the nematode growth medium plate at 21 degrees Celsius. Transgenic animals were then generated basing mello et al (1991) standard procedure. In order to generate Punc-119::dys-1 (pLC587), the researchers pieced together the 9.0-kb dys-1 genomic sequence obtained from WRM0611bE10 at an exon 30 with the untranslasted region of cDNA and 169-bp dys-1 3 and 3.

9-kb dys-1 cDNA, and subcloned was joined into the pBluescript II KS vector existing between NotI and XmaI. The researchers then crossed evIs78 (Punc-129::gfp and oxIs12 (unc-47::gfp integrated transgenes into the available respective strains with a view to visulize cholinergic neurons, and GABA. Synchronized the young adult animals of such strains and the synchronized dys-1 larvae for different stages were all mounted on the 2percent agarose pads and then scored for neuronal displacement with a 40? 1.3 NA Neofluar.

This was done with an aim of using the microscope with the captured image, which was captured in a camera, along with the imaging software. Shan and Lihsia findings showed that DYS-1/dystrophin helps in regulating locomotion and muscle integrity. The findings of this study, also show that SAX-7 and STN-2/Y-syntrophin functions to maintain the neural integrity in c.elegans. In yet another study Hart Lidov, Timothy Byers, Simon Watkins, and Louis Kunkel (7) scientific study, this researchers came up with antibody (anti 6-10), which was somewhat more sensitive that the immunolabel dystrophin which were previously available.

The researhers then used this anti 6-10 antibody in to investgate whether the asoociation between systrophin and the nervous system. The findings of this study revealed that in the mouse, dystrophin is more abundant in the neurons of the cerebral cortices and the cerebral. This study also revealed that