Biomechanical Forces Regulate Gene Transcription During Stretch-Mediated Growth of Mammalian Neurons.

ABSTRACT: At birth, there are 100 billion neurons in the human brain, with functional neural circuits extending through the spine to the epidermis of the feet and toes. Following birth, limbs and vertebrae continue to grow by several orders of magnitude, forcing established axons to grow by up to 200 cm in length without motile growth cones. The leading regulatory paradigm suggests that biomechanical expansion of mitotic tissue exerts tensile force on integrated nervous tissue, which synchronizes ongoing growth of spanning axons. Here, we identify unique transcriptional changes in embryonic rat DRG and cortical neurons while the corresponding axons undergo physiological levels of controlled mechanical stretch in vitro. Using bioreactors containing cultured neurons, we recapitulated the peak b

SUBMITTER: Loverde JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7780124 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature