Preventing GVHD by protecting gut stem cells
2011-02-01
(Press-News.org) A protein that protects stem cells in the gut relieves a potentially lethal complication of bone marrow transplantation in mice, according to a study published online on January 31 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org).
Bone marrow transplantation can cure diseases such as leukemia but it can also lead to a potentially fatal complication known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). A group led by Takanori Teshima at Kyushu University in Japan found that mice treated with a protein called R-spondin1 developed less severe GVHD after bone marrow transplantation. R-spondin worked by protecting intestinal stem cells, which help to regenerate damaged tissues and thus dampen inflammation.
Whether R-spondin1 is therapeutic for human bone marrow transplant patients remains to be explored.
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About The Journal of Experimental Medicine
The Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) is published by The Rockefeller University Press. All editorial decisions on manuscripts submitted are made by active scientists in conjunction with our in-house scientific editors. JEM content is posted to PubMed Central, where it is available to the public for free six months after publication. Authors retain copyright of their published works and third parties may reuse the content for non-commercial purposes under a creative commons license. For more information, please visit www.jem.org.
Takashima, S., et al. 2011. J. Exp. Med. doi:10.1084/jem.20101559
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[Press-News.org] Preventing GVHD by protecting gut stem cells
