Understanding the role of the metalloprotease ADM-4/ADAM17/TACE in promoting axonal repair

如何通过外科手术修复受损的轴突并恢复其功能，仍然是神经外科的一个重大挑战。然而，在无脊椎动物中已经观察到一种自发修复机制，即轴突融合，通过这种机制，横断的轴突的两个分离的末端重新融合在一起。我们已经确定了一个分子，作为一个主要的调节轴突融合在线虫秀丽隐杆线虫。在这里，我们将研究这个分子及其控制哺乳动物神经元轴突修复的潜力。

The ability to surgically repair an injured axon and restore function is still a significant challenge in neurosurgery. However, a spontaneous repair mechanism, axonal fusion, by which the two separated ends of a transected axon are fused back together, has been observed in invertebrates. We have identified a molecule that acts as a master regulator of axonal fusion in the nematode C. elegans. Here, we will study this molecule and its potential to control axonal repair in mammalian neurons.