The fibrin (red) that blocks nerve healing is degraded when p75NTR isn't around (right) to dampen tPA levels.

Even when it's not killing, a death receptor still finds ways to inflict damage. On page 1119, Sachs et al. show that a TNF receptor helps build scars that can get in the way of healing.

Tissue scars are formed from build-ups of extracellular matrix proteins. In particular, a blood-clotting factor called fibrin escapes from damaged vessels and is deposited as a temporary matrix in the tissue. The deposits can block nerve regeneration and cause lung and vascular diseases.

Fibrin's degradation by plasmin allows healing to proceed more efficiently. Sachs and colleagues thus went looking for factors that either block or help this degradation. They had noticed that fibrin deposits were often found in areas with high levels of the TNF receptor family member, p75...

The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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