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The ability of fish retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to regenerate their axons was shown to require the re-expression and function of the two proteins reggie-1 and -2. RGCs in mammals fail to upregulate reggie expression and to regenerate axons after lesion suggesting the possibility that induced upregulation might promote regeneration. In the present study, RGCs in adult rats were induced to express reggie-1 by intravitreal injection of adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV2/1) expressing reggie-1 (AAV.R1-EGFP) 14d prior to optic nerve crush. Four weeks later, GAP-43-positive regenerating axons had crossed the lesion and grown into the nerve at significantly higher numbers and length (up to 5 mm) than the control transduced with AAV.EGFP. Consistently, after transduction with AAV.R1-EGFP as opposed to AAV.EGFP, primary RGCs in vitro grew long axons on chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) and Nogo-A, both glial cell-derived inhibitors of neurite growth, suggesting that reggie-1 can provide neurons with the ability to override inhibitors of neurite growth. This reggie-1-mediated enhancement of growth was reproduced in mouse hippocampal and N2a neurons which generated axons 40–60% longer than their control counterparts. This correlates with the reggie-1-dependent activation of Src and PI3 kinase (PI3K), of the Rho family GTPase Rac1 and downstream effectors such as cofilin. This increased growth also depends on TC10, the GTPase involved in cargo delivery to the growth cone. Thus, the upregulation of reggie-1 in mammalian neurons provides nerve cells with neuron-intrinsic properties required for axon growth and successful regeneration in the adult mammalian CNS.

In contrast to mammals, lesioned axons in the zebrafish (ZF) optic nerve regenerate and restore vision. This correlates with the absence of the NogoA-specific N-terminal domains from the ZF nogo/rtn-4 (reticulon-4) gene that inhibits regeneration in mammals. However, mammalian nogo/rtn-4 carries a second inhibitory C-terminal domain, Nogo-66, being 70% identical with ZF-Nogo66. The present study examines, (1) whether ZF-Nogo66 is inhibitory and effecting similar signaling pathways upon Nogo66-binding to the Nogo66 receptor NgR and its coreceptors, and (2) whether Rat-Nogo66 on fish, and ZF-Nogo66 on mouse neurons, cause inhibition via NgR. Our results from "outgrowth, collapse and contact assays" suggest, surprisingly, that ZF-Nogo66 is growth-permissive for ZF and mouse neurons, quite in contrast to its Rat-Nogo66 homolog which inhibits growth. The opposite effects of ZF- and Rat-Nogo66 are, in both fish and mouse, transmitted by GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol)-anchored receptors, including NgR. The high degree of sequence homology in the predicted binding site is consistent with the ability of ZF- and mammalian-Nogo66 to bind to NgRs of both species. Yet, Rat-Nogo66 elicits phosphorylation of the downstream effector cofilin whereas ZF-Nogo66 has no influence on cofilin phosphorylation—probably because of significantly different Rat- versus ZF-Nogo66 sequences outside of the receptor-binding region effecting, by speculation, recruitment of a different set of coreceptors or microdomain association of NgR. Thus, not only was the NogoA-specific domain lost in fish, but Nogo66, the second inhibitory domain in mammals, and its signaling upon binding to NgR, was modified so that ZF-Nogo/RTN-4 does not impair axon regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ability of fish retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to regenerate their axons was shown to require the re-expression and function of the two proteins reggie-1 and -2. RGCs in mammals fail to upregulate reggie expression and to regenerate axons after lesion suggesting the possibility that induced upregulation might promote regeneration. In the present study, RGCs in adult rats were induced to express reggie-1 by intravitreal injection of adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV2/1) expressing reggie-1 (AAV.R1-EGFP) 14d prior to optic nerve crush. Four weeks later, GAP-43-positive regenerating axons had crossed the lesion and grown into the nerve at significantly higher numbers and length (up to 5mm) than the control transduced with AAV.EGFP. Consistently, after transduction with AAV.R1-EGFP as opposed to AAV.EGFP, primary RGCs in vitro grew long axons on chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) and Nogo-A, both glial cell-derived inhibitors of neurite growth, suggesting that reggie-1 can provide neurons with the ability to override inhibitors of neurite growth. This reggie-1-mediated enhancement of growth was reproduced in mouse hippocampal and N2a neurons which generated axons 40–60% longer than their control counterparts. This correlates with the reggie-1-dependent activation of Src and PI3 kinase (PI3K), of the Rho family GTPase Rac1 and downstream effectors such as cofilin. This increased growth also depends on TC10, the GTPase involved in cargo delivery to the growth cone. Thus, the upregulation of reggie-1 in mammalian neurons provides nerve cells with neuron-intrinsic properties required for axon growth and successful regeneration in the adult mammalian CNS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]