Augmenting fibronectin levels in injured adult CNS promotes axon regeneration in vivo.

ABSTRACT: In an attempt to repair injured central nervous system (CNS) nerves/tracts, immune cells are recruited into the injury site, but endogenous response in adult mammals is insufficient for promoting regeneration of severed axons. Here, we found that a portion of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) CNS projection neurons that survive after optic nerve crush (ONC) injury are enriched for and upregulate fibronectin (Fn)-interacting integrins Itga5 and ItgaV, and that Fn promotes long-term survival and long-distance axon regeneration of a portion of axotomized adult RGCs in culture. We then show that, Fn is developmentally downregulated in the axonal tracts of optic nerve and spinal cord, but injury-activated macrophages/microglia upregulate Fn while axon regeneration-promoting zymosan augments their rec

SUBMITTER: Lukomska A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11283980 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature