mutation<\/a> on a gene\u00a0called\u00a0Retsat. Scientists suspected that this mutation helps animals like yaks\u00a0and Tibetan antelopes\u00a0maintain\u00a0healthy brain function despite chronically low oxygen levels.\u00a0<\/p>\nZhang and his team set off to investigate if this mutation could prevent\u00a0myelin\u00a0sheath damage. They exposed newborn mice to low-oxygen conditions\u00a0equivalent\u00a0to\u00a0elevations above\u00a013,000 feet\u00a0for about a week.\u00a0Mice carrying the\u00a0Retsat\u00a0mutation performed significantly better in learning, memory,\u00a0and social behavior tests than those with the standard version of the gene. Brain analyses\u00a0also\u00a0revealed that the\u00a0high-altitude gene\u00a0mice had higher levels of\u00a0myelin\u00a0surrounding their nerve fibers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0researchers\u00a0then examined\u00a0whether\u00a0the\u00a0Retsat\u00a0mutation could repair\u00a0myelin\u00a0sheath damage similar to that seen in MS. They found that in mice carrying the mutation, the\u00a0myelin\u00a0sheath regenerated much faster and more completely after injury. The injury sites also\u00a0had more mature oligodendrocytes, a type of cell responsible for producing\u00a0myelin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Further\u00a0investigation\u00a0showed that mice with the mutation produced higher levels of ATDR, a metabolite derived from vitamin A, in their brains. The\u00a0Retsat\u00a0mutation appeared to increase the enzymatic activity that converts vitamin A into its metabolites, which in turn promotes\u00a0the production and maturation of\u00a0myelin-producing\u00a0oligodendrocytes.\u00a0When the team\u00a0gave\u00a0ATDR to mice with\u00a0an MS-like disease, their\u00a0disease severity\u00a0decreased, and they showed\u00a0improved motor function.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Current treatments for MS\u00a0mainly focus\u00a0on suppressing immune activity,\u00a0notes\u00a0Zhang. “ATDR is something everyone already has in their body. Our findings suggest that there may be an alternative approach that uses naturally occurring molecules to treat diseases related to\u00a0myelin\u00a0damage,” he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This work was supported by\u00a0the National Science and Technology Major Project, the\u00a0National\u00a0Natural Science Foundation of China,\u00a0the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,\u00a0Shanghai Post-doctoral Excellence Program, the\u00a0Natural Science\u00a0Foundation of Shanghai,\u00a0the 2024 Tibet Autonomous Region Science\u00a0and Technology Plan Key R&D\u00a0and Transformation Project,\u00a0the Open Research Fund of Navy Medical\u00a0University Basic Medical College, Yunnan Revitalization Talent\u00a0Support Program Science & Technology Champion Project\u00a0and the\u00a0Yunnan Revitalization Talent Support Program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Source:<\/p>\n
Journal reference:<\/p>\n
Li, D., et al. (2026). A gain-of-function Retsat variant from high-altitude adaptation promotes myelination via a neuronal dihydroretinoic acid-RXR-\u03b3 pathway.\u00a0Neuron. DOI: 10.1016\/j.neuron.2026.01.013.\u00a0https:\/\/www.cell.com\/neuron\/fulltext\/S0896-6273(26)00013-9<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A genetic mutation that helps\u00a0animals\u00a0like yaks and Tibetan antelopes\u00a0survive at high altitudes may hold the key to repairing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[78],"tags":[159,5505,18,8101,3288,5506,5052,135,690,19,17,96,3455,5053,19339,6366,23275,1281,7184,26543,172,11694,82,95958],"class_list":["post-383729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-brain","tag-cell","tag-eire","tag-evolution","tag-gene","tag-genes","tag-genetic","tag-health","tag-hospital","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-medicine","tag-multiple-sclerosis","tag-mutation","tag-myelin","tag-nerve","tag-neuron","tag-neuroscience","tag-oxygen","tag-paralysis","tag-research","tag-sclerosis","tag-technology","tag-vitamin-a"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116223848541480463","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}