And people laugh at me when I talk to my plants...

Nic 57/15

On Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 8:29 PM, rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Sick plant suffering for Parkinson patients
> 24 April 2009 The University of Stavanger
>
> The research plant Arabidopsis thaliana is currently a patient in a
> laboratory at the University of Stavanger, Norway. Researchers hope it can
> give the answer to how Parkinson patients can achieve a better quality of
> life.
> It is the first time plants are being used to uncover the reason why
> Parkinson patients experience a gradual loss of nerve cells. This is being
> done in a cooperation between the clinical unit at Stavanger University
> Hospital and the molecular biological experts at the University of Stavanger
> in Norway.
>
> "The collaboration between Stavanger University Hospital and the University
> of Stavanger in Norway represents a unique way of analysing and
> understanding the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases such as
> Parkinson's. We can transfer these findings from plants to humans, because
> plants have many of the proteins that humans have," says Professor Simon G.
> Møller, head of Centre for Organelle Research (CORE) at the University, and
> Professor Jan Petter Larsen who heads the National Competency Centre for
> Movement Disorders at Stavanger University Hospital.
>
> Stavanger University Hospital has been involved in Parkinson's disease
> (Parkinsonism) research since 1992 and is the leading establishment in this
> field of research in Norway. The hospital is currently heading a major
> clinical research project involving 200 patients, who are to be followed up
> over the next 12 years.
>
> In principle the possibility of linking plant research with clinical
> research is somewhat strange. But a little more than a year ago experts from
> the clinical and bio-molecular research area began a dialogue, and a seed
> was sown, so to speak. Therefore a laboratory at the University of Stavanger
> has cultivated genetically-modified plants, which have Parkinson's disease
> at the molecular level.
>
> The research plant is mouse-ear cress, Arabidopsis thaliana, which is one
> of the most important model plants for plant genome researchers.
>
> Parkinson's affects approx. 1 in 1000 and is one of the most frequent
> neurodegenerative diseases. At present the reasons why a certain types of
> brain cells degenerate is not fully understood. The researchers at the
> University of Stavanger and Stavanger University Hospital hope that the
> plant project can provide insight into the mechanisms causing the disease.
> One main aim is to identify biological factors that influence the
> development of the disease. The key is to gain knowledge as to why nerve
> cells die. It is here that the researchers in molecular biology in Stavanger
> can contribute.
>
> Researchers are concentrating on the DJ-1 protein, which is key in
> understanding the disease. Researchers have seen a clear tendency that
> defective DJ-1 proteins lead to increased cell death, and that this protein,
> together with other proteins, leads to a better handling of cell stress.
>
> "Cell death is the core concerning Parkinson's. We know that something is
> wrong with the mitochondrial organelle, which produces energy, in this group
> of patients. The proteins clot and are deposited in the nerve cells, which
> then die," says Jan Petter Larsen.
>
> "If DJ-1 doesn't function, cell death occurs in the nerve cells, and it is
> important to find the mechanism for this, so that intervention can be made
> possible," explains Simon G. Møller.
>
> "It is not only a defective DJ-1 protein which can cause cell death. There
> are close to 10 proteins or genes which we know cause Parkinson's disease,
> but DJ-1 is unquestionably one of them," says Jan Petter Larsen.
>
> "What is important to remember is that when we know more about the
> molecular mechanisms, it will be easier to find treatment. But this must be
> done in combination with clinical data," Simon G. Møller stresses. He adds
> that the collaboration with Stavanger University Hospital is essential for
> the project.
>
> "What we can achieve by new knowledge about why nerve cells die is to
> arrive at medicines and manipulation of the cells which can give the
> patients a better quality of life and which can alter the disease and
> prolong their life," says the researchers.
>
> Further research will be expanded to comprise zebra fish, which have many
> of the same genes as us humans. But this type of research is costly and
> researchers must spend a lot of time in raising funds for the research. This
> is an important regional research project, according to the researchers,
> both of whom have a desire of establishing a dedicated foundation, in the
> future, for this type of research.
>
> This is a cooperation between the National Centre for Movement Disorders at
> the Hospital, which was founded in 2003 by the Norwegian Ministry of Health
> and Social Affairs, and whose responsibilities include the disease groups
> Parkinson, dystonia and tremors, and CORE (Centre for Organelle Research) at
> the University of Stavanger, whose goal is to understand the molecular and
> cellular functions of organelles in the different organisms.
>
> http://www.uis.no/research/article14991-51.html
>
> COOPERATION: In a cooperative effort between the clinical unit at Stavanger
> University Hospital and the molecular biological experts at the University
> of Stavanger the researchers will now use plants to gain an understanding of
> Parkinson's disease. From left: Professor Jan Petter Larsen, Senior
> Researcher Xiang Ming Xu, Professor Simon G. Møller.
>
> Rayilyn Brown
> Director AZNPF
> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
> [log in to unmask]
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