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Involvement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and sonic hedgehog in the spinal cord plasticity after neurotoxic partial removal of lumbar motoneurons
- Source :
-
Neuroscience Research . Jul2012, Vol. 73 Issue 3, p238-247. 10p. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Abstract: Adult mammals could spontaneously achieve a partial sensory-motor recovery after spinal cord injury, by mechanisms including synaptic plasticity. We previously showed that this recovery is associated to the expression of synapsin-I, and that sonic hedgehog and Notch-1 could be also involved in plasticity. The role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glutamate receptors in regulating synaptic efficacy has been explored in the last decade but, although these mechanisms are now well-defined in the brain, the molecular mechanisms underlying the so called “spinal learning” are still less clear. Here, we measured the expression levels of choline acetyltransferase, synapsin-I, sonic hedgehog, Notch-1, glutamate receptor subunits (GluR1, GluR2, GluR4, NMDAR1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, in a motoneuron-depleted mouse spinal lesion model obtained by intramuscular injection of cholera toxin-B saporin. The lesion caused the down-regulation of the majority of analysed proteins. Moreover, we found that in lesioned but not in control spinal tissue, synapsin-I expression is associated to that of both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and sonic hedgehog, whereas GluR2 expression is linked to that of Shh. These results suggest that brain-derived neurotrophic factor and sonic hedgehog could collaborate in modulating synaptic plasticity after the removal of motoneurons, by a mechanism involving both pre- and post-synaptic processes. Interestingly, the involvement of sonic hedgehog showed here is novel, and offers new routes to address spinal cord plasticity and repair. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01680102
- Volume :
- 73
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Neuroscience Research
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 76157750
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neures.2012.04.010