ULK1 as a novel therapeutic target in neurodegeneration

摘要

Axonal degeneration is an early and key pathophysiological feature of many traumatic and neurodegenerative disorders of the central nervous system(CNS),such as spinal cord injury(SCI),Parkinson’s disease(PD),and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS).As the regenerative capacity of injured axons is severely restricted in the CNS,axonal degeneration frequently results in the irreversible loss of neuronal connections causing progressive neurological deficits and clinical disability.A better understanding of the mechanisms of axon degeneration is therefore hoped to unravel new therapeutic avenues to combat neurodegeneration(Lingor et al.,2012).