UQ Scientists Uncover External Scaffold Protecting Sensory Nerves in Skin

University of Queensland scientists have identified structures in skin tissue that may protect sensory nerves, using C. elegans roundworms in their research. This groundbreaking discovery significantly alters a decade of scientific understanding regarding the stability of sensory nerve connections throughout a lifetime.

A Protective 'Scaffold' in the Skin

Dr. Sean Coakley from UQ's School of Biomedical Sciences stated that the discovery involves an external protective 'scaffold' in the skin surrounding sensory nerves. This offers crucial insights into how the skin and nervous system collaborate to protect axons, which are cable-like structures that receive and transmit sensory messages to the brain.

"This offers insights into how the skin and nervous system collaborate to protect axons, which are cable-like structures that receive and transmit sensory messages to the brain."

Dr. Coakley noted that damage to these axons disrupts signals for touch, temperature, and pain, with consequences observed in traumatic injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. Axons are long, thin structures, reaching up to a meter in length in humans, yet they are remarkably resilient to damage from daily bodily movements. Understanding their protective mechanisms is crucial for developing future therapies for nervous system injuries and diseases.

Unveiling the Scaffold's Structure

Sensory axons are embedded in the skin of humans and other species, similar to C. elegans roundworms. The research team utilized super-resolution microscopy on the one-millimeter-long roundworm to identify an internal scaffolding structure within the skin around these axons.

Professor Massimo Hilliard of UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute reported that this scaffold consists of nano-scale trusses and beams composed of protein molecules known as spectrins.

"Hilliard likened the scaffold's protection of axons to a plaster cast."

Previous understanding suggested axons were robust due to an internal elastic scaffold. However, the new research indicates this external scaffold in the skin is critically important for maintaining the integrity of these underlying neural cables.

Implications for Future Therapies

Dr. Igor Bonacossa Pereira from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience suggested that this finding could influence current and future therapies for protecting axonal structure and function.

"Focusing on the tissue surrounding the axon may reveal new approaches for treating and preventing injuries and diseases."

He added that the presence of spectrins in all animals indicates their fundamental role, prompting significant further study.