Now, scientists at Northwestern University have demonstrated that an enzyme vital to normal function of blood vessels also can be an Achilles heel during infection-induced or ventilator-induced lung injury. They believe that the enzyme holds significant potential as a drug discovery target for the treatment of acute lung injury.
As described in the May issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Mark Wainwright, M.D., and D. Martin Watterson identified a molecule, called myosin light chain kinase 210 (MLCK 210), that makes endothelial cells in the lung susceptible to injury during periods of inflammation.
Wainwright is assistant professor of pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and a researcher at the Children's Memorial Institute for Education and Research. Watterson is J.G. Searle Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, professor of molecular pharmacology and biological chemistry at the Feinberg School and director of the Northwestern University Drug Discovery Training Program.
Endothelial cells line blood vessels throughout the body and serve as a barrier to keep toxins in the blood from entering tissues and organs. MLCK 210 regulates normal endothelial cell function, but the contribution of MLCK 210 to the mechanisms of lung injury in the living animal was unknown.
Wainwright said that cell culture (or, in vitro) studies have identified several enzymes, including MLCK 210, in the regulation of endothelial barrier function, but no one had
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Contact: Elizabeth Crown
e-crown@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University
29-Apr-2003