In vivo conversion of rat astrocytes into neuronal cells through neural stem cells in injured spinal cord with a single zinc-finger transcription factor.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in glial scar formation and irreversible neuronal loss, which finally leads to functional impairments and long-term disability. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the ectopic expression of Zfp521 reprograms fibroblasts and astrocytes into induced neural stem cells (iNSCs). However, it remains unclear whether treatment with Zfp521 also affects endogenous astrocytes, thus promoting further functional recovery following SCI.

Methods

Rat astrocytes were transdifferentiated into neural stem cells in vitro by ZFP521 or Sox2. Then, ZFP521 was applied to the spinal cord injury site of a rat. Transduction, real-time PCR, immunohistofluorescence, and function assessments were performed at 6 weeks post-transduction to evaluate improv

SUBMITTER: Zarei-Kheirabadi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6916443 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature