Defining the role of VEGF-A signalling in glia during development and in regeneration

神经胶质细胞滋养和支持中枢神经系统（脑和脊髓）和外周神经系统（神经节和神经）的信息传递神经元细胞。虽然健康的神经胶质细胞促进神经元功能，但不健康的神经胶质细胞会导致多发性硬化症、糖尿病性神经病变和腓骨肌萎缩症等疾病。我们的初步实验表明，蛋白质血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）是重要的两种胶质细胞类型命名为边界帽细胞和雪旺细胞。边界帽细胞帮助神经纤维在发育过程中在中枢和外周神经系统之间交叉，如果确定可以从干细胞样前体再生边界帽的疗法，我们可以帮助损伤后在成人中重新生长的神经纤维延伸回中枢神经系统。雪旺细胞在神经纤维周围形成包裹髓鞘层，使它们彼此电绝缘，它们还帮助神经纤维在受伤后重新生长。重要的是，新的许旺细胞也可以从边界帽前体产生。我们希望了解VEGF如何指导边界帽和雪旺细胞在发育和疾病过程中生长并将自己定位在适当的位置，以便为促进神经修复和阻止神经变性的医学治疗确定新的分子靶点。

Glial cells nourish and support the information-transmitting neuronal cells of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (ganglia and nerves). Whilst healthy glia promotes neuronal function, unhealthy glia causes diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth-Disease. Our pilot experiments suggest that the protein Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is important for two glial cell types named boundary cap cells and Schwann cells. Boundary caps cells help nerve fibres to cross between the central and peripheral nervous system during development, if therapies were identified that could regenerate boundary caps from their stem cell-like precursors, we could help nerve fibres that re-grow in adults after injury to extend back into the central nervous system. Schwann cells form wrap myelin sheets around nerve fibres to insulate them against each other electrically, and they also help nerve fibres re-grow after injury. Importantly, new Schwann cells can also be generated from boundary cap precursors. We want to find out how VEGF instructs boundary cap and Schwann cells to grow and position themselves in appropriate places during development and disease, in order to identify new molecular targets for medical therapies that promote nerve repair and halt neurodegeneration.