Project description:Recent studies in brain and spinal cord have revealed the heterogenous nature of astrocytes; however, how diverse constituents of astrocyte lineage cells are regulated in adult spinal cord after injury and contribute to regeneration remains elusive. We performed single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of astrocyte lineage cells from sub-chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) models, identified and compared with the subpopulations in the acute stage data. We found the subpopulations with distinct functional enrichment and their identities defined by subpopulation-specific transcription factors and regulons. Our analyses revealed the molecular signature, location and morphologies of potential residential neural progenitors or neural stem cells in the adult spinal cord before and after injury, and the intermediate cells enriched in neuronal markers that could potentially transition into other subpopulations. The investigation of stage-specific cell-cell communications among astrocyte lineage cells and with other cell types in the tissue generated valuable insight into signaling pathway networks in SCI. This study has significantly expanded the knowledge of the heterogeneity and cell state transition of glial progenitors in adult spinal cord before and after injury.
Project description:Analysis of gene expression by astrocytes or non-astrocyte cells in spinal cord injury (SCI) lesions may lead to the identification of molecules that impact on axon regrowth. We conducted genome-wide RNA sequencing of (i) immunoprecipitated astrocyte-specific ribosome-associated RNA (ramRNA) from WT or STAT3-CKO astrocytes, and (ii) the non-precipitated (flow-through) RNA deriving from non-astrocyte cells in the same tissue samples 14 days following SCI. DOI: 10.1038/nature17623
Project description:Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a damage to the spinal cord induced by trauma or disease resulting in a loss of mobility or feeling. SCI is characterized by a primary mechanical injury followed by a secondary injury in which several molecular events are altered in the spinal cord often resulting in loss of neuronal function. Analysis of the areas directly (spinal cord) and indirectly (raphe and sensorimotor cortex) affected by injury will help understanding mechanisms of SCI. Hypothesis: Areas of the brain primarily affected by spinal cord injury are the Raphe and the Sensorimotor cortex thus gene expression profiling these two areas might contribute understanding the mechanisms of spinal cord injury. Specific Aim: The project aims at finding significantly altered genes in the Raphe and Sensorimotor cortex following an induced moderate spinal cord injury in T9.
Project description:RNA-seq analysis of microglia following spinal cord injury demonstrated that microglia response is driven by time after injury but not lesion severity.
Project description:Analysis of gene expression by astrocytes or non-astrocyte cells in spinal cord injury (SCI) lesions may lead to the identification of molecules that impact on axon regrowth. We conducted genome-wide RNA sequencing of (i) immunoprecipitated astrocyte-specific ribosome-associated RNA (ramRNA) from WT or STAT3-CKO astrocytes, and (ii) the non-precipitated (flow-through) RNA deriving from non-astrocyte cells in the same tissue samples 14 days following SCI. DOI: 10.1038/nature17623 Young adult female mGFAP-Cre-RiboTag or mGFAP-Cre-RiboTag-STAT3-LoxP mice underwent severe crush SCI at thoracic level 10. 14 days following SCI, the central 3mm of the SCI lesion was extracted, homogenized and (i) astrocyte-specific ribosome-associated RNA (ramRNA) precipitated via a hemagglutinin (HA) tag targeted to either WT (n=4) or STAT3-CKO (n=3) astrocytes, and (ii) the non-precipitated (flow-through) RNA deriving from non-astrocyte cells in the same tissue samples. Sex and age-matched mGFAP-Cre-RiboTag mice served as uninjured controls (n=4).
Project description:Single-nuclei Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin with sequencing (snATACseq) was applied to examine chromatin landscape changes and transcriptional regulator (TR) DNA motif accessibility in reactive astrocytes following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Astrocyte nuclei were isolated from the spinal cord of wild type mice and mice with astrocyte-specific conditional gene deletion (cKO) of test-case TRs, SMARCA4 (Smarca4-astro-cKO) or STAT3 knockout (Stat3-astro-cKO). Comparison of differential chromatin accessibility revealed substantial remodeling during astrocyte reactivity, with more chromatin opening than closing. Marked alterations in access to SCI reactivity-associated TR motifs were also detected.
Project description:Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a damage to the spinal cord induced by trauma or disease resulting in a loss of mobility or feeling. SCI is characterized by a primary mechanical injury followed by a secondary injury in which several molecular events are altered in the spinal cord often resulting in loss of neuronal function. Analysis of the areas directly (spinal cord) and indirectly (raphe and sensorimotor cortex) affected by injury will help understanding mechanisms of SCI. Hypothesis: Areas of the brain primarily affected by spinal cord injury are the Raphe and the Sensorimotor cortex thus gene expression profiling these two areas might contribute understanding the mechanisms of spinal cord injury. Specific Aim: The project aims at finding significantly altered genes in the Raphe and Sensorimotor cortex following an induced moderate spinal cord injury in T9. Keywords: other
Project description:Following contusive spinal injury astrocytes undergo inflammatory activation and proliferation in a process known as astrogliosis. Reactive astrocytes are attractive therapeutic targets as they sit central to many of the immune recruitment, injury response, and tissue healing processes of the spinal cord. However, methods of targeted expression of exogenous therapeutic genes within astrocytes must be validated to not alter the normal immunological involvement of astrocytes. To investigate the effect of transgene expression within astrocytes upon the immunological state of the contused cord, we injected the astrocyte-selective AAV5-GfaABC1D-dYFP reporter vector into an animal model of moderate contusive spinal cord injury. Bulk RNA microarrays were used to assess transcriptomic changes of the perilesional tissue.
Project description:To investigate the mechanism of electrical stimulation in the repair of spinal cord injury, we established a rat model of spinal cord injury. Then, we used RNA-SEQ data obtained from ES treatment and 6 different rat models of spinal cord injury for gene expression profile analysis.