Project description:Mice lacking the developmental axon guidance molecule EphA4 have previously been shown to exhibit extensive axonal regeneration and functional recovery following spinal cord injury. To assess mechanisms by which EphA4 may modify the response to neural injury, a microarray was performed on spinal cord tissue from mice with spinal cord injury and sham injured controls. RNA was purified from spinal cords of adult EphA4 knockout and wild-type mice four days following lumbar spinal cord hemisection or laminectomy only and was hybridised to Affymetrix All-Exon Array 1.0 GeneChips. While subsequent analyses indicated that several pathways were altered in EphA4 knockout mice, of particular interest was the attenuated or otherwise altered expression of a number of inflammatory genes, including Arginase 1, expression of which was lower in injured EphA4 knockout compared to wild-type mice. Immunohistological analyses of different cellular components of the immune response were then performed in injured EphA4 knockout and wild-type spinal cords. While numbers of infiltrating CD3+ T cells were low in the hemisection model, a robust CD11b+ macrophage / microglial response was observed post-injury. There was no difference in the overall number or spread of macrophages / activated microglia in injured EphA4 knockout compared to wild-type spinal cords at two, four or fourteen days post-injury, however a lower proportion of Arginase-1 immunoreactive macrophages / activated microglia was observed in EphA4 knockout spinal cords at four days post-injury. Subtle alterations in the neuroinflammatory response in injured EphA4 knockout spinal cords may contribute to the regeneration and recovery observed in these mice following injury. Comparison was made between gene expression in wild-type and knockout samples both before and after injury. 3 replicates per group.
Project description:We performed single cell RNA sequencing to examine the reaction of a subpopulation of ependymal cells, EpA cells, to spinal cord injury. The experiment contains cells from spinal cords of Troy-CreERT2 mice on a Rosa26-tdTomato background. The spinal cord samples come from uninjured and injured spinal cords (3 days after injury).
Project description:Mice lacking the developmental axon guidance molecule EphA4 have previously been shown to exhibit extensive axonal regeneration and functional recovery following spinal cord injury. To assess mechanisms by which EphA4 may modify the response to neural injury, a microarray was performed on spinal cord tissue from mice with spinal cord injury and sham injured controls. RNA was purified from spinal cords of adult EphA4 knockout and wild-type mice four days following lumbar spinal cord hemisection or laminectomy only and was hybridised to Affymetrix All-Exon Array 1.0 GeneChips. While subsequent analyses indicated that several pathways were altered in EphA4 knockout mice, of particular interest was the attenuated or otherwise altered expression of a number of inflammatory genes, including Arginase 1, expression of which was lower in injured EphA4 knockout compared to wild-type mice. Immunohistological analyses of different cellular components of the immune response were then performed in injured EphA4 knockout and wild-type spinal cords. While numbers of infiltrating CD3+ T cells were low in the hemisection model, a robust CD11b+ macrophage / microglial response was observed post-injury. There was no difference in the overall number or spread of macrophages / activated microglia in injured EphA4 knockout compared to wild-type spinal cords at two, four or fourteen days post-injury, however a lower proportion of Arginase-1 immunoreactive macrophages / activated microglia was observed in EphA4 knockout spinal cords at four days post-injury. Subtle alterations in the neuroinflammatory response in injured EphA4 knockout spinal cords may contribute to the regeneration and recovery observed in these mice following injury.
Project description:A screen of 5 anti-inflammatory compounds for their effects in explanted, cultured rat spinal cord slices. All injured (explanted) cords are cultured for 4 hrs.
Project description:A screen of 5 anti-inflammatory compounds for their effects in explanted, cultured rat spinal cord slices. All injured (explanted) cords are cultured for 4 hrs. Keywords: ordered
Project description:This laboratory works on selectins and their carbohydrate ligands in lymphocyte homing and inflammation. The lab also studies heparin-degrading endosulfatases and their roles in regulating the interactions of growth factors and morphogens with proteoglycans. The purpose of the experiment is to examine gene expression profiles in spinal cords of injured as a function of time after a contusion injury. The tissue will be generated in the lab of Linda Noble, Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSF who is an expert on the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury. Wild-type male C57B/6 mice (8-10 weeks of age) were used. Injuries were produced by contusion. Spinal cords from control mice (uninjured) and experimental (injured) mice were processed (4 and 7 days after injury). A 3 mm length of spinal cord (centered at the injury) and a 3 mm segment from a distant site were isolated from each animal. Tissue from 3 mice were pooled for each sample. Three replicate samples per treatment group were processed for RNA. Thus, a total of 18 RNA samples were hybridized to 18 gene chips. The analysis will determine whether specific glycosylation changes accompany spinal cord injury. Of particular interest are changes in the sulfation profile of proteoglycan GAG chains (e.g., chondroitin sulfate) and in the appearance of potential carbohydrate ligands for infiltrating leukocytes bearing L-selectin or other endogenous lectins.