Thesis supervisor: Róbert Adalbert
Location of studies (in Hungarian): University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy Histology and Embriology Abbreviation of location of studies: Anat
Description of the research topic:
Many of the challenges axons face relate to their extreme length. Longer axons have a higher risk of focal transport blocks (e.g. injury, inflammation), present a larger target for diffuse transport impairment (e.g. in poorly oxygenated tissue or genetic disorders) and require longer to deliver cargoes to their terminals. Previously we have shown that NMNAT2 is an essential axonal survival and growth protein. When axonal transport fails, NMNAT2 levels fall rapidly and axons degenerate. In this project, we will test the hypothesis that ‘dying back’ axon loss in long nerves is related to deficits in the NMNAT2 protein. A better understanding of this survival pathway could be the key to uncovering novel therapeutic targets in length-dependent human peripheral neuropathies.
Required language skills: english Number of students who can be accepted: 1