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Permissive Schwann cell graft/spinal cord interfaces for axon regeneration.

ABSTRACT: The transplantation of autologous Schwann cells (SCs) to repair the injured spinal cord is currently being evaluated in a clinical trial. In support, this study determined properties of spinal cord/SC bridge interfaces that enabled regenerated brainstem axons to cross them, possibly leading to improvement in rat hindlimb movement. Fluid bridges of SCs and Matrigel were placed in complete spinal cord transections. Compared to pregelled bridges of SCs and Matrigel, they improved regeneration of brainstem axons across the rostral interface. The regenerating brainstem axons formed synaptophysin(+) bouton-like terminals and contacted MAP2A(+) dendrites at the caudal interface. Brainstem axon regeneration was directly associated with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP(+)) astrocyte processes that elongated into the SC bridge. Electron microscopy revealed that axons, SCs, and astrocytes were enclosed together within tunnels bounded by a continuous basal lamina. Neuroglycan (NG2) expression was associated with these tunnels. One week after injury, the GFAP(+) processes coexpressed nestin and brain lipid-binding protein, and the tips of GFAP(+)/NG2(+) processes extended into the bridges together with the regenerating brainstem axons. Both brainstem axon regeneration and number of GFAP(+) processes in the bridges correlated with improvement in hindlimb locomotion. Following SCI, astrocytes may enter a reactive state that prohibits axon regeneration. Elongation of astrocyte processes into SC bridges, however, and formation of NG2(+) tunnels enable brainstem axon regeneration and improvement in function. It is important for spinal cord repair to define conditions that favor elongation of astrocytes into lesions/transplants.

SUBMITTER: Williams RR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4809058 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Permissive Schwann cell graft/spinal cord interfaces for axon regeneration.

Williams Ryan R RR Henao Martha M Pearse Damien D DD Bunge Mary Bartlett MB

Cell transplantation 20131022 1

The transplantation of autologous Schwann cells (SCs) to repair the injured spinal cord is currently being evaluated in a clinical trial. In support, this study determined properties of spinal cord/SC bridge interfaces that enabled regenerated brainstem axons to cross them, possibly leading to improvement in rat hindlimb movement. Fluid bridges of SCs and Matrigel were placed in complete spinal cord transections. Compared to pregelled bridges of SCs and Matrigel, they improved regeneration of br ...[more]

PMID: 24152553

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Project description:BackgroundNewts have the remarkable ability to regenerate their spinal cords as adults. Their spinal cords regenerate with the regenerating tail after tail amputation, as well as after a gap-inducing spinal cord injury (SCI), such as a complete transection. While most studies on newt spinal cord regeneration have focused on events occurring after tail amputation, less attention has been given to events occurring after an SCI, a context that is more relevant to human SCI. Our goal was to use modern labeling and imaging techniques to observe axons regenerating across a complete transection injury and determine how cells and the extracellular matrix in the injury site might contribute to the regenerative process.ResultsWe identify stages of axon regeneration following a spinal cord transection and find that axon regrowth across the lesion appears to be enabled, in part, because meningeal cells and glia form a permissive environment for axon regeneration. Meningeal and endothelial cells regenerate into the lesion first and are associated with a loose extracellular matrix that allows axon growth cone migration. This matrix, paradoxically, consists of both permissive and inhibitory proteins. Axons grow into the injury site next and are closely associated with meningeal cells and glial processes extending from cell bodies surrounding the central canal. Later, ependymal tubes lined with glia extend into the lesion as well. Finally, the meningeal cells, axons, and glia move as a unit to close the gap in the spinal cord. After crossing the injury site, axons travel through white matter to reach synaptic targets, and though ascending axons regenerate, sensory axons do not appear to be among them. This entire regenerative process occurs even in the presence of an inflammatory response.ConclusionsThese data reveal, in detail, the cellular and extracellular events that occur during newt spinal cord regeneration after a transection injury and uncover an important role for meningeal and glial cells in facilitating axon regeneration. Given that these cell types interact to form inhibitory barriers in mammals, identifying the mechanisms underlying their permissive behaviors in the newt will provide new insights for improving spinal cord regeneration in mammals.

Project description:Promoting the combination of robust regeneration of damaged axons and synaptic reconnection of these growing axon populations with appropriate neuronal targets represents a major therapeutic goal following spinal cord injury (SCI). A key impediment to achieving this important aim includes an intrinsic inability of neurons to extend axons in adult CNS, particularly in the context of the chronically-injured spinal cord. We tested whether an inhibitory peptide directed against phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN: a central inhibitor of neuron-intrinsic axon growth potential) could restore inspiratory diaphragm function by reconnecting critical respiratory neural circuitry in a rat model of chronic cervical level 2 (C2) hemisection SCI. We found that systemic delivery of PTEN antagonist peptide 4 (PAP4) starting at 8 weeks after C2 hemisection promoted substantial, long-distance regeneration of injured bulbospinal rostral Ventral Respiratory Group (rVRG) axons into and through the lesion and back toward phrenic motor neurons (PhMNs) located in intact caudal C3-C5 spinal cord. Despite this robust rVRG axon regeneration, PAP4 stimulated only minimal recovery of diaphragm function. Furthermore, re-lesion through the hemisection site completely removed PAP4-induced functional improvement, demonstrating that axon regeneration through the lesion was responsible for this partial functional recovery. Interestingly, there was minimal formation of putative excitatory monosynaptic connections between regrowing rVRG axons and PhMN targets, suggesting that (1) limited rVRG-PhMN synaptic reconnectivity was responsible at least in part for the lack of a significant functional effect, (2) chronically-injured spinal cord presents an obstacle to achieving synaptogenesis between regenerating axons and post-synaptic targets, and (3) addressing this challenge is a potentially-powerful strategy to enhance therapeutic efficacy in the chronic SCI setting. In conclusion, our study demonstrates a non-invasive and transient pharmacological approach in chronic SCI to repair the critically-important neural circuitry controlling diaphragmatic respiratory function, but also sheds light on obstacles to circuit plasticity presented by the chronically-injured spinal cord.

Project description:Transected axons fail to regrow across anatomically complete spinal cord injuries (SCI) in adults. Diverse molecules can partially facilitate or attenuate axon growth during development or after injury1-3, but efficient reversal of this regrowth failure remains elusive4. Here we show that three factors that are essential for axon growth during development but are attenuated or lacking in adults-(i) neuron intrinsic growth capacity2,5-9, (ii) growth-supportive substrate10,11 and (iii) chemoattraction12,13-are all individually required and, in combination, are sufficient to stimulate robust axon regrowth across anatomically complete SCI lesions in adult rodents. We reactivated the growth capacity of mature descending propriospinal neurons with osteopontin, insulin-like growth factor 1 and ciliary-derived neurotrophic factor before SCI14,15; induced growth-supportive substrates with fibroblast growth factor 2 and epidermal growth factor; and chemoattracted propriospinal axons with glial-derived neurotrophic factor16,17 delivered via spatially and temporally controlled release from biomaterial depots18,19, placed sequentially after SCI. We show in both mice and rats that providing these three mechanisms in combination, but not individually, stimulated robust propriospinal axon regrowth through astrocyte scar borders and across lesion cores of non-neural tissue that was over 100-fold greater than controls. Stimulated, supported and chemoattracted propriospinal axons regrew a full spinal segment beyond lesion centres, passed well into spared neural tissue, formed terminal-like contacts exhibiting synaptic markers and conveyed a significant return of electrophysiological conduction capacity across lesions. Thus, overcoming the failure of axon regrowth across anatomically complete SCI lesions after maturity required the combined sequential reinstatement of several developmentally essential mechanisms that facilitate axon growth. These findings identify a mechanism-based biological repair strategy for complete SCI lesions that could be suitable to use with rehabilitation models designed to augment the functional recovery of remodelling circuits.

Project description:The peripheral branch of sensory dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons regenerates readily after injury unlike their central branch in the spinal cord. However, extensive regeneration and reconnection of sensory axons in the spinal cord can be driven by the expression of α9 integrin and its activator kindlin-1 (α9k1), which enable axons to interact with tenascin-C. To elucidate the mechanisms and downstream pathways affected by activated integrin expression and central regeneration, we conducted transcriptomic analyses of adult male rat DRG sensory neurons transduced with α9k1, and controls, with and without axotomy of the central branch. Expression of α9k1 without the central axotomy led to upregulation of a known PNS regeneration program, including many genes associated with peripheral nerve regeneration. Coupling α9k1 treatment with dorsal root axotomy led to extensive central axonal regeneration. In addition to the program upregulated by α9k1 expression, regeneration in the spinal cord led to expression of a distinctive CNS regeneration program, including genes associated with ubiquitination, autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), trafficking, and signaling. Pharmacological inhibition of these processes blocked the regeneration of axons from DRGs and human iPSC-derived sensory neurons, validating their causal contributions to sensory regeneration. This CNS regeneration-associated program showed little correlation with either embryonic development or PNS regeneration programs. Potential transcriptional drivers of this CNS program coupled to regeneration include Mef2a, Runx3, E2f4, and Yy1. Signaling from integrins primes sensory neurons for regeneration, but their axon growth in the CNS is associated with an additional distinctive program that differs from that involved in PNS regeneration.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Restoration of neurologic function after spinal cord injury has yet to be achieved in human patients. To accomplish this, severed nerve fibers must be made to regenerate. Reconstruction of nerve pathways has not been possible, but recently, a method for stimulating long-distance axon regeneration of sensory fibers in rodents has been developed. This research uses profiling of messenger RNAs in the regenerating sensory neurons to discover which mechanisms are activated. This study shows that the regenerating neurons initiate a novel CNS regeneration program which includes molecular transport, autophagy, ubiquitination, and modulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The study identifies mechanisms that neurons need to activate to regenerate their nerve fibers.

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Permissive Schwann cell graft/spinal cord interfaces for axon regeneration.

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Permissive Schwann cell graft/spinal cord interfaces for axon regeneration.

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