Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Francisco Javier Rodriguez-Jimenez, Pavla Jendelova, Slaven Erceg
Summary: Ependymal cells, dormant progenitors in the spinal cord, undergo significant changes following spinal cord injury (SCI). The understanding of molecular events that activate ependymal cells after SCI is crucial for controlling the regenerative response in damaged tissues. This review focuses on cell adhesion molecules, cellular membrane receptors, ion channels, and transcription factors that mediate SCI-induced activation of ependymal cells. The coordinated expression of receptors and ion channels regulates ependymal cell activation and may contribute to cellular replacement and tissue regeneration after SCI.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diane Pelzer, Lauren S. Phipps, Raphael Thuret, Carlos J. Gallardo-Dodd, Syed Murtuza Baker, Karel Dorey
Summary: This study identified several genes specifically expressed in the spinal cord during regeneration, highlighting the importance of Foxm1 in spinal cord regeneration. Foxm1 was found to regulate the fate of neural progenitors post-division, rather than controlling their cell cycle length. The reduction in neurons in the regenerating spinal cord of foxm1(-/-) tadpoles suggests that neuronal differentiation plays a crucial role in the regenerative process.
Article
Cell Biology
Robert Chevreau, Hussein Ghazale, Chantal Ripoll, Chaima Chalfouh, Quentin Delarue, Anne Laure Hemonnot-Girard, Daria Mamaeva, Helene Hirbec, Bernard Rothhut, Shalaka Wahane, Florence Evelyne Perrin, Harun Najib Noristani, Nicolas Guerout, Jean Philippe Hugnot
Summary: Ependymal cells in the adult spinal cord activate multiple signaling pathways after injury, downregulate cilia-associated genes, upregulate various genes including Osmr, and the Osmr receptor Oncostatin may regulate the fate of ependymal cells towards astrocytic differentiation by affecting cell proliferation and differentiation.
Article
Biology
Xiaoyu Xue, Muya Shu, Zhifeng Xiao, Yannan Zhao, Xing Li, Haipeng Zhang, Yongheng Fan, Xianming Wu, Bing Chen, Bai Xu, Yaming Yang, Weiyuan Liu, Sumei Liu, Jianwu Dai
Summary: Nestin is broadly expressed in neural stem/progenitor cells during neural development, but mainly restricted to ependymal cells in adult spinal cord. Following spinal cord injury, Nestin expression is reactivated and Nestin(+) cells aggregate at the injury site. Our study indicates that Nestin(+) cells in the lesion core and edge may be derived from various cell types, with ependymal cells contributing minimally.
SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chantal Ripoll, Gaetan Poulen, Robert Chevreau, Nicolas Lonjon, Florence Vachiery-Lahaye, Luc Bauchet, Jean-Philippe Hugnot
Summary: Ependymal cells in the spinal cord play a crucial role in providing a physical barrier and circulating cerebrospinal fluid. They exhibit a dorsal-ventral expression pattern of spinal cord developmental transcription factors and express neurodevelopmental genes throughout human life. The persistence of ependymal cells and their heterogeneity highlight the importance of further investigation.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Rachel Ronan, Aniket Kshirsagar, Ana Lucia Rebelo, Abbah Sunny, Michelle Kilcoyne, Roisin O' Flaherty, Pauline M. Rudd, Gerhard Schlosser, Radka Saldova, Abhay Pandit, Siobhan S. McMahon
Summary: Traumatic spinal cord injury disrupts tissue integrity and function. This study investigates the role of glycosylation in regeneration and suggests that targeting glycosylation could be a promising strategy for future therapies.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Zhifeng You, Xu Gao, Xinyi Kang, Wen Yang, Tiandi Xiong, Yue Li, Feng Wei, Yan Zhuang, Ting Zhang, Yifu Sun, He Shen, Jianwu Dai
Summary: Neural regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) is closely related to the formation of microvascular endothelial cells (MECs) mediated neurovascular unit. This study established a method for isolating primary spinal cord-derived MECs (SCMECs) with high cell yield and purity to investigate their therapeutic effects on SCI. Transcriptomics and proteomics identified differentially expressed genes and proteins in SCMECs that were involved in angiogenesis, immunity, metabolism, and cell adhesion molecular signaling. SCMECs and brain-derived MECs (BMECs) showed different levels of angiogenesis and promoted proliferation, migration, and differentiation of spinal cord or brain-derived neural stem cells (SNSC/BNSC). SCMECs in combination with the NeuroRegen scaffold showed higher effectiveness in promoting vascular reconstruction and neuronal regeneration compared to BMECs, possibly through the VEGF/AKT/eNOS-signaling pathway.
BIOACTIVE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Youwei Chen, Ying Chen, Qianyan Li, Huahua Liu, Jiazhen Han, Hailin Zhang, Liming Cheng, Gufa Lin
Summary: This study identifies the presence of short C-terminal MSI1 (MSI1-C) proteins in early mouse embryos and mouse ESCs, but not in human ESCs. MSI1-C plays an essential role in regulating pluripotency states and early embryonic development by binding to RNAs involved in DNA-damage repair, enhancing the survival and blastoid formation ability of hESCs.
Review
Cell Biology
Camila Marques de Freria, Erna Van Niekerk, Armin Blesch, Paul Lu
Summary: Spinal cord injury leads to irreversible functional impairment due to neuronal loss and disruption of connections, but neural stem cell therapy shows promising potential in promoting axonal regeneration and forming new connections. This therapy has implications for improving motor systems, including the corticospinal tract, and restoring sensory feedback in SCI patients.
Article
Neurosciences
Iyo Ikeda-Yorifuji, Hiroshi Tsujioka, Yasushi Sakata, Toshihide Yamashita
Summary: The regenerative ability of the adult mammalian central nervous system is limited, while spinal cord injuries often lead to lifelong motor disabilities. However, neonates have the potential to regenerate and restore neural function. This study used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to analyze the cellular composition in injured spinal cords of adult and neonatal mice. The results revealed previously undescribed cells with ependymal cell-like gene expression profiles, which were found to be enriched only in neonates after injury. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the cellular responses specific to neonates after spinal cord injury, which may play a role in determining regenerative capacity.
NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Panpan Zhu, Pengfei Zheng, Xinlong Kong, Shuo Wang, Muqing Cao, Chengtian Zhao
Summary: This study reveals the important role of Rassf7a in spinal cord regeneration and neural progenitor cell proliferation after spinal cord injury. Rassf7a modulates spindle orientation and cell cycle progression to affect neurogenesis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Theresa Strauss, Burkhard Greve, Michael Gabriel, Nurjannah Achmad, Dhanusha Schwan, Nancy Adriana Espinoza-Sanchez, Antonio Simone Lagana, Ludwig Kiesel, Matti Poutanen, Martin Goette, Sebastian Daniel Schaefer
Summary: This study found that the silencing of Musashi-1 and Musashi-2 increased cell apoptosis and necrosis, and reduced the expression of stem cell genes and cell proliferation in endometriosis. Additionally, the Musashi genes had an impact on the expression of the cell cycle regulator p21. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of targeting the Musashi-Notch axis in the treatment of endometriosis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Hongyan Zhang, Jingjing Liu, Chengming Ling, Xin Chen, Jiangkai Lin, Hua Feng, Weihua Chu
Summary: After spinal cord injury, HMGB1 released from reactive astrocytes can promote ependymal cell differentiation into astrocytes, inhibit differentiation into neurons, but has no significant effect on ependymal cell proliferation. These findings provide a new strategy for the treatment of SCI.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tiffany S. Haiduk, Mark Sicking, Kathrin A. Bruecksken, Nancy A. Espinoza-Sanchez, Kai Moritz Eder, Bjoern Kemper, Hans Theodor Eich, Martin Goette, Burkhard Greve, Fabian M. Troschel
Summary: This study reveals the crucial role of Musashi RNA-binding proteins in inflammatory breast cancer, as they are associated with tumor proliferation, cancer stem cell characteristics, and therapy resistance. Inhibiting the expression of MSI genes can alleviate drug resistance and tumor growth.
ARCHIVES OF MEDICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Filippo Pinelli, Fabio Pizzetti, Valeria Veneruso, Emilia Petillo, Michael Raghunath, Giuseppe Perale, Pietro Veglianese, Filippo Rossi
Summary: Spinal cord injury is a damaging process that occurs during an acute traumatic event, and requires a multi-target approach for treatment. Recent advances in biomaterials and drug/biomolecule combinations have shown promise in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.