A novel artificial nerve graft for repairing longdistance sciatic nerve defects:a self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold-containing poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) conduit

In this study, we developed a novel artificial nerve graft termed self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold （SAPNS）-containing poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid） （PLGA） conduit （SPC） and used it to bridge a 10-mm-long sciatic nerve defect in the rat. Retrograde tracing, behavioral testing and histomorphometric analyses showed that compared with the empty PLGA conduit implantation group, the SPC implantation group had a larger number of growing and extending axons, a markedly increased diameter of regenerated axons and a greater thickness of the myelin sheath in the conduit. Furthermore, there was an increase in the size of the neuromuscular junction and myofiber diameter in the target muscle. These findings suggest that the novel artificial SPC nerve graft can promote axonal regeneration and remyelination in the transected peripheral nerve and can be used for repairing peripheral nerve injury.

Cloning and bioinformatical analysis of the N-terminus of the sonic hedgehog gene

The sonic hedgehog protein not only plays a key role in early embryonic development, but also has essential effects on the adult nervous system, including neural stem cell proliferation, differentiation migration and neuronal axon guidance. The N-terminal fragment of sonic hedgehog is the key functional element in this process. Therefore, this study aimed to clone and analyze the N-terminal fragment of the sonic hedgehog gene. Total RNA was extracted from the notochord of a Sprague-Dawley rat at embryonic day 9 and the N-terminal fragment of sonic hedgehog was amplified by nested reverse transcription-PCR. The N-terminal fragment of the sonic hedgehog gene was successfully cloned. The secondary and tertiary structures of the N-terminal fragment of the sonic hedgehog protein were predicted using Jpred and Phyre online.