Studying mouse models of glaucoma, Ban, Apte and their colleagues identified a molecule in the eye called growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), noting that the levels of the molecule increased as the animals aged and developed optic nerve damage. (sciencedaily.com)
The study revealed that growth factors — especially one known as growth differentiation factor 9 — coming from the eggs drove the feeding tube multiplication and growth process, acting directly upon the genetic machinery of the follicle cells surrounding the egg. (sciencedaily.com)
The study, performed in an animal model, was the first to identify growth differentiation factor 10, or GDF10, a molecule that previously had no known role in the adult brain, said Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael, the study's senior author and a professor and vice chair for research and programs in the UCLA department of neurology. (sciencedaily.com)