title: Role of cytokine signaling during nervous system development.
abstract: Cytokines are signaling proteins that were first characterized as components of the immune response, but have been found to have pleiotropic effects in diverse aspects of body function in health and disease. They are secreted by numerous cells and are used extensively in intercellular communications to produce different activities, including intricate processes engaged in the ontogenetic development of the brain. This review discusses factors involved in brain growth regulation and recent findings exploring cytokine signaling pathways during development of the central nervous system. In view of existing data suggesting roles for neurotropic cytokines in promoting brain growth and repair, these molecules and their signaling pathways might become targets for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative processes due to diseases, toxicity, or trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Safat 13060, Kuwait. alyaamousa@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alyaa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mousa
authors.forename: Moiz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bakhiet
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D053612:Janus Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases