'Collateral vessel' gene found that protects in opposition to stroke injury
When the gene Rabep2 is deficient, the number and diameter of collateral blood vessels – normally present during brain development – are reduced by 50 to 60 percent, and the amount of brain tissue that dies after stroke is more than doubled. Credit: Courtesy of the Faber lab Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found a major clue that may explain why some people sustain relatively little damage from strokes or heart attacks despite severe arterial blockages. The clue lies in the little-understood gene Rabep2. Scientists have known that when an artery is blocked, the damage to tissues downstream is often limited because these tissues continue to be nourished by special "collateral" vessels that connect the tissue to other arteries. However, for reasons that haven't been understood, the number and size of these collateral vessels -- and thus the protection they afford -- can vary greatly from one individual to the next. T...