Molecular and histologic outcomes following spinal cord injury in spiny mice, Acomys cahirinus

The spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)appears to be unique among mammals by showing little scarring or fibrosis after skin or muscle injury, but theAcomysresponse to spinal cord injury (SCI) is unknown. We tested the hypothesis thatAcomyswould have molecular and immunohistochemical evidence of reduced spinal inflammation and fibrosis following SCI as compared to C57BL/6 mice (Mus), which similar to all mammals studied to date exhibits spinal scarring following SCI. Initial experiments used two pathway-focused RT-PCR gene arrays (“wound healing” and “neurogenesis”) to evaluate tissue samples from the C2-C6 spinal cord 3-days after a C3/C4 hemi-crush injury (C3Hc). Based on the gene array, specific genes were selected for RT-qPCR evaluation using species-specific primers. The results supported our hypothesis by showing increased inflammation and fibrosis related gene expression (Serpine 1, Plau, Timp1)inMusas compared toAcomys(P(Bmp2, GDNF, Shh)inAcomyscompared toMus(PAcomys(PAcomys. Collectively, the molecular and histologic results support the hypothesis thatAcomyshas reduced spinal inflammation and fibrosis following SCI. We suggest thatAcomysmay be a useful comparative model to study adaptive responses to SCI.HighlightsSpiny mice (Acomys cahirinus)and C57BL/6 (Mus) were studied after spinal injuryRT-PCR gene arrays suggested different molecular response inAcomysRTq-PCR with species-specific primers showed increased neurogenesis-related signalingHistology indicates reduced scarring and fibrosis inAcomysAcomysmay be a useful comparative model to study SCI