The rapid formation of a glial/fibrotic scar is one of the main factors hampering axon growth after spinal cord injury. The bidirectional Eph B2/ephrin-B2 signaling of the fibroblast-astrocyte contact-dependent intera...The rapid formation of a glial/fibrotic scar is one of the main factors hampering axon growth after spinal cord injury. The bidirectional Eph B2/ephrin-B2 signaling of the fibroblast-astrocyte contact-dependent interaction is a trigger for glial/fibrotic scar formation. In the present study, a new in vitro model was produced by coculture of fibroblasts and astrocytes wounded by scratching to mimic glial/fibrotic scar-like structures using an improved slide system. After treatment with RNAi to downregulate Eph B2, changes in glial/fibrotic scar formation and the growth of VSC4.1 motoneuron axons were examined. Following RNAi treatment, fibroblasts and astrocytes dispersed without forming a glial/fibrotic scar-like structure. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurocan, NG2 and collagen I in the coculture were reduced, and the growth of VSC4.1 motoneuron axons was enhanced. These findings suggest that suppression of Eph B2 expression by RNAi attenuates the formation of a glial/fibrotic scar and promotes axon growth. This study was approved by the Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province, China(approval No. 2019-0506-002) on May 6, 2019.展开更多
基金supported by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutes of China(PAPD)the Science and Technology Plan Project of Nantong of China,No.JC2020026(to JW)the National Science Research of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China,No.19KJB310012(to RYY)。
文摘The rapid formation of a glial/fibrotic scar is one of the main factors hampering axon growth after spinal cord injury. The bidirectional Eph B2/ephrin-B2 signaling of the fibroblast-astrocyte contact-dependent interaction is a trigger for glial/fibrotic scar formation. In the present study, a new in vitro model was produced by coculture of fibroblasts and astrocytes wounded by scratching to mimic glial/fibrotic scar-like structures using an improved slide system. After treatment with RNAi to downregulate Eph B2, changes in glial/fibrotic scar formation and the growth of VSC4.1 motoneuron axons were examined. Following RNAi treatment, fibroblasts and astrocytes dispersed without forming a glial/fibrotic scar-like structure. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurocan, NG2 and collagen I in the coculture were reduced, and the growth of VSC4.1 motoneuron axons was enhanced. These findings suggest that suppression of Eph B2 expression by RNAi attenuates the formation of a glial/fibrotic scar and promotes axon growth. This study was approved by the Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province, China(approval No. 2019-0506-002) on May 6, 2019.
