Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Tyrosine kinases: maiming myelin in leprosy

Nature Medicine volume 12, pages 889–890 (2006)Cite this article

Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy, causes the breakdown of myelin. This breakdown is now shown to occur through the ErbB2 receptor, a process that can be blocked by Herceptin and kinase inhibitors (pages 961–966).

Few infectious diseases have been with us as long as leprosy, with the earliest descriptions appearing in India around 600 BC. This chronic disease has several manifestations, mainly associated with peripheral nerve damage and the eventual disfiguring skin lesions that historically led to social exclusion. Although now in decline due to its relatively easy diagnosis and treatment with antibiotic combinations that include rifampicin, there are still nearly half a million new cases each year worldwide.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Figure 1: Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, activates ErbB2 receptors on the surface of myelinating Schwann cells.

Kim Caesar

References

  1. Sancho, S., Magyar, J.P., Aguzzi, A. & Suter, U. Brain 122, 1563–1577 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lappe-Siefke, C. et al. Nat. Genet. 33, 366–374 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Tapinos, N., Ohnishi, M. & Rambukkana, A. Nat. Med. 12, 961–966 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Rambukkana, A., Zanazzi, G., Tapinos, N. & Salzer, J.L. Science 296, 927–931 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Crone, S.A. et al. Nat. Med. 8, 459–465 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Garratt, A.N., Britsch, S. & Birchmeier, C. Bioessays 22, 987–996 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zanazzi, G. et al. J. Cell Biol. 152, 1289–1299 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Penderis, J. et al. Eur. J. Neurosci. 18, 2253–2264 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Deadwyler, G.D., Pouly, S., Antel, J.P. & Devries, G.H. Glia 32, 304–312 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cannella, B., Pitt, D., Marchionni, M. & Raine, C.S. J. Neuroimmunol. 100, 233–242 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK

    Robin J M Franklin & Chao Zhao

Authors
  1. Robin J M Franklin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chao Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Franklin, R., Zhao, C. Tyrosine kinases: maiming myelin in leprosy. Nat Med 12, 889–890 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0806-889

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0806-889

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing