Axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury in zebrafish and mammals: differences, similarities, translation

A single-cell landscape of the regenerating spinal cord of zebrafish

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202602000-00046/figure1/v/2025-05-05T160104Z/r/image-tiff Unlike mammals, zebrafish possess a remarkable ability to regenerate their spinal cord after injury, making them an ideal vertebrate model for studying regeneration. While previous research has identified key cell types involved in this process, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to profile distinct cell populations at different stages of spinal cord injury in zebrafish. Our analysis revealed that multiple subpopulations of neurons showed persistent activation of genes associated with axonal regeneration post injury, while molecular signals promoting growth cone collapse were inhibited. Radial glial cells exhibited significant proliferation and differentiation potential post injury, indicating their intrinsic roles in promoting neurogenesis and axonal regeneration, respectively. Additionally, we found that inflammatory factors rapidly decreased in the early stages following spinal cord injury, creating a microenvironment permissive for tissue repair and regeneration. Furthermore, oligodendrocytes lost maturity markers while exhibiting increased proliferation following injury. These findings demonstrated that the rapid and orderly regulation of inflammation, as well as the efficient proliferation and redifferentiation of new neurons and glial cells, enabled zebrafish to reconstruct the spinal cord. This research provides new insights into the cellular transitions and molecular programs that drive spinal cord regeneration, offering promising avenues for future research and therapeutic strategies.

Clinical Trials Targeting Secondary Damage after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes loss of sensory and motor function resulting in a significant reduction in quality of life for patients. Currently, no therapies are available that can repair spinal cord tissue. After the primary SCI, an acute inflammatory response induces further tissue damage in a process known as secondary injury. Targeting secondary injury to prevent additional tissue damage during the acute and subacute phases of SCI represents a promising strategy to improve patient outcomes. Here, we review clinical trials of neuroprotective therapeutics expected to mitigate secondary injury, focusing primarily on those in the last decade. The strategies discussed are broadly categorized as acute-phase procedural/surgical interventions, systemically delivered pharmacological agents, and cell-based therapies. In addition, we summarize the potential for combinatorial therapies and considerations.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Enhances Motoneuron Survival and Inhibits Neuroinflammation After Spinal Cord Transection in Zebrafish

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a neurotrophic factor produced locally in the central nervous system which can promote axonal regeneration, protect motoneurons, and inhibit neuroinflammation. In this study, we used the zebrafish spinal transection model to investigate whether IGF-1 plays an important role in the recovery of motor function. Unlike mammals, zebrafish can regenerate axons and restore mobility in remarkably short period after spinal cord transection. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence showed decreased IGF-1 expression in the lesion site. Double immunostaining for IGF-1 and Islet-1 (motoneuron marker)/GFAP (astrocyte marker)/Iba-1 (microglia marker) showed that IGF-1 was mainly expressed in motoneurons and was surrounded by astrocyte and microglia. Following administration of IGF-1 morpholino at the lesion site of spinal-transected zebrafish, swimming test showed retarded recovery of mobility, the number of motoneurons was reduced, and increased immunofluorescence density of microglia was caused. Our data suggested that IGF-1 enhances motoneuron survival and inhibits neuroinflammation after spinal cord transection in zebrafish, which suggested that IGF-1 might be involved in the motor recovery.

Mitochondrial function in spinal cord injury and regeneration

Many people around the world suffer from some form of paralysis caused by spinal cord injury (SCI), which has an impact on quality and life expectancy. The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system (CNS), which in mammals is unable to regenerate, and to date, there is a lack of full functional recovery therapies for SCI. These injuries start with a rapid and mechanical insult, followed by a secondary phase leading progressively to greater damage. This secondary phase can be potentially modifiable through targeted therapies. The growing literature, derived from mammalian and regenerative model studies, supports a leading role for mitochondria in every cellular response after SCI: mitochondrial dysfunction is the common event of different triggers leading to cell death, cellular metabolism regulates the immune response, mitochondrial number and localization correlate with axon regenerative capacity, while mitochondrial abundance and substrate utilization regulate neural stem progenitor cells self-renewal and differentiation. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of the cellular responses during the secondary phase of SCI, the mitochondrial contribution to each of them, as well as evidence of mitochondrial involvement in spinal cord regeneration, suggesting that a more in-depth study of mitochondrial function and regulation is needed to identify potential targets for SCI therapeutic intervention.

Survival and Axonal Outgrowth of the Mauthner Cell Following Spinal Cord Crush Does Not Drive Post-injury Startle Responses

A pair of Mauthner cells (M-cells) can be found in the hindbrain of most teleost fish, as well as amphibians and lamprey. The axons of these reticulospinal neurons cross the midline and synapse on interneurons and motoneurons as they descend the length of the spinal cord. The M-cell initiates fast C-type startle responses (fast C-starts) in goldfish and zebrafish triggered by abrupt acoustic/vibratory stimuli. Starting about 70 days after whole spinal cord crush, less robust startle responses with longer latencies manifest in adult goldfish, Carassius auratus. The morphological and electrophysiological identifiability of the M-cell provides a unique opportunity to study cellular responses to spinal cord injury and the relation of axonal regrowth to a defined behavior. After spinal cord crush at the spinomedullary junction about one-third of the damaged M-axons of adult goldfish send at least one sprout past the wound site between 56 and 85 days postoperatively. These caudally projecting sprouts follow a more lateral trajectory relative to their position in the fasciculus longitudinalis medialis of control fish. Other sprouts, some from the same axon, follow aberrant pathways that include rostral projections, reversal of direction, midline crossings, neuromas, and projection out the first ventral root. Stimulating M-axons in goldfish that had post-injury startle behavior between 198 and 468 days postoperatively resulted in no or minimal EMG activity in trunk and tail musculature as compared to control fish. Although M-cells can survive for at least 468 day (∼1.3 years) after spinal cord crush, maintain regrowth, and elicit putative trunk EMG responses, the cell does not appear to play a substantive role in the emergence of acoustic/vibratory-triggered responses. We speculate that aberrant pathway choice of this neuron may limit its role in the recovery of behavior and discuss structural and functional properties of alternative candidate neurons that may render them more supportive of post-injury startle behavior.

Cell transplantation and secretome based approaches in spinal cord injury regenerative medicine

The axonal growth-restrictive character of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) makes finding a therapeutic strategy a very demanding task, due to the postinjury events impeditive to spontaneous axonal outgrowth and regeneration. Considering SCI pathophysiology complexity, it has been suggested that an effective therapy should tackle all the SCI-related aspects and provide sensory and motor improvement to SCI patients. Thus, the current aim of any therapeutic approach for SCI relies in providing neuroprotection and support neuroregeneration. Acknowledging the current SCI treatment paradigm, cell transplantation is one of the most explored approaches for SCI with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) being in the forefront of many of these. Studies showing the beneficial effects of MSC transplantation after SCI have been proposing a paracrine action of these cells on the injured tissues, through the secretion of protective and trophic factors, rather than attributing it to the action of cells itself. This manuscript provides detailed information on the most recent data regarding the neuroregenerative effect of the secretome of MSCs as a cell-free based therapy for SCI. The main challenge of any strategy proposed for SCI treatment relies in obtaining robust preclinical evidence from in vitro and in vivo models, before moving to the clinics, so we have specifically focused on the available vertebrate and mammal models of SCI currently used in research and how can SCI field benefit from them.

Targeting senescent cells improves functional recovery after spinal cord injury

Persistent senescent cells (SCs) are known to underlie aging-related chronic disorders, but it is now recognized that SCs may be at the center of tissue remodeling events, namely during development or organ repair. In this study, we show that two distinct senescence profiles are induced in the context of a spinal cord injury between the regenerative zebrafish and the scarring mouse. Whereas induced SCs in zebrafish are progressively cleared out, they accumulate over time in mice. Depletion of SCs in spinal-cord-injured mice, with different senolytic drugs, improves locomotor, sensory, and bladder functions. This functional recovery is associated with improved myelin sparing, reduced fibrotic scar, and attenuated inflammation, which correlate with a decreased secretion of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory factors. Targeting SCs is a promising therapeutic strategy not only for spinal cord injuries but potentially for other organs that lack regenerative competence.

Use of Zebrafish Genetic Models to Study Etiology of the Amyloid-Beta and Neurofibrillary Tangle Pathways in Alzheimer's Disease

The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases is increasing globally, with an imperative need to identify and expand the availability of pharmaceutical treatment strategies. Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure or has limited treatments. Rodent models are primarily used in Alzheimer's disease research to investigate causes, pathology, molecular mechanisms, and pharmaceutical therapies. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive understanding of Alzheimer's disease causes, pathogenesis, and optimal treatments due in part to some limitations of using rodents, including higher economic cost, which can influence sample size and ultimately statistical power. It is necessary to expand our animal model toolbox to provide alternative strategies in Alzheimer's disease research. The zebrafish application in neurodegenerative disease research and neuropharmacology is greatly expanding due to several vital strengths spanning lower economic costs, the smaller size of the organism, a sequenced characterized genome, and well described anatomical structures. These characteristics are coupled to the conserved molecular function and disease pathways in humans. The existence of orthologs for genes associated with Alzheimer's disease in zebrafish is also confirmed. While wild-type zebrafish appear to lack some of the neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease, the advent of genetic editing technologies has expanded evaluation of the amyloid and neurofibrillary tangle hypotheses using the zebrafish and exploration of pharmaceutical molecular targets. An overview of how genetic editing technologies are being used with the zebrafish to create models to investigate the causes, pathology, molecular mechanisms, and pharmaceutical targets of Alzheimer's disease is detailed.

Cellular therapy for treatment of spinal cord injury in Zebrafish model

Spinal cord injury is a serious problem with a high rate of morbidity and mortality for all persons, especially young people (15-25 years old). Due to the large burden and the costs incurred on the government, finding the best therapeutic approach is necessary. In this respect, treatment strategies based on the disease mechanism can be effective. After the first trauma of spinal cord cascades, cellular events happen one after the other known as secondary trauma. The mechanism of secondary events of spinal cord injury could be helpful for target therapy as trying to stop the secondary trauma. Herein, some medical and surgical therapy has been introduced and cell therapy strategy was considered as a recent method. Actually, cell therapy is defined as the application of different cells including mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and some others to replace or reconstruct the damaged tissues and restore their functions. However, as a newly emerged therapeutic method, cell therapy should be used through various subclinical studies in animal models to assess the efficacy of the treatment under controlled conditions. In this review, the role of Zebrafish as a recommended model has been discussed and combinatory approach as the probably most useful treatment has been suggested.

Lentiviral Interleukin-10 Gene Therapy Preserves Fine Motor Circuitry and Function After a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in Male and Female Mice

In mammals, spinal cord injuries often result in muscle paralysis through the apoptosis of lower motor neurons and denervation of neuromuscular junctions. Previous research shows that the inflammatory response to a spinal cord injury can cause additional tissue damage after the initial trauma. To modulate this inflammatory response, we delivered lentiviral anti-inflammatory interleukin-10, via loading onto an implantable biomaterial scaffold, into a left-sided hemisection at the C5 vertebra in mice. We hypothesized that improved behavioral outcomes associated with anti-inflammatory treatment are due to the sparing of fine motor circuit components. We examined behavioral recovery using a ladder beam, tissue sparing using histology, and electromyogram recordings using intraspinal optogenetic stimulation at 2 weeks post-injury. Ladder beam analysis shows interleukin-10 treatment results in significant improvement of behavioral recovery at 2 and 12 weeks post-injury when compared to mice treated with a control virus. Histology shows interleukin-10 results in greater numbers of lower motor neurons, axons, and muscle innervation at 2 weeks post-injury. Furthermore, electromyogram recordings suggest that interleukin-10-treated animals have signal-to-noise ratios and peak-to-peak amplitudes more similar to that of uninjured controls than to that of control injured animals at 2 weeks post-injury. These data show that gene therapy using anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 can significantly reduce tissue damage and subsequent motor deficits after a spinal cord injury. Together, these results suggest that early modulation of the injury response can preserve muscle function with long-lasting benefits.

Dual Oxidase Mutant Retards Mauthner-Cell Axon Regeneration at an Early Stage via Modulating Mitochondrial Dynamics in Zebrafish

Dual oxidase (duox)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been correlated with neuronal polarity, cerebellar development, and neuroplasticity. However, there have not been many comprehensive studies of the effect of individual duox isoforms on central-axon regeneration in vivo. Here, we explored this question in zebrafish, an excellent model organism for central-axon regeneration studies. In our research, mutation of the duox gene with CRISPR/Cas9 significantly retarded the single-axon regeneration of the zebrafish Mauthner cell in vivo. Using deep transcriptome sequencing, we found that the expression levels of related functional enzymes in mitochondria were down-regulated in duox mutant fish. In vivo imaging showed that duox mutants had significantly disrupted mitochondrial transport and redox state in single Mauthner-cell axon. Our research data provide insights into how duox is involved in central-axon regeneration by changing mitochondrial transport.

Activating Transcription Factor 3 (ATF3) Protects Retinal Ganglion Cells and Promotes Functional Preservation After Optic Nerve Crush

Purpose

To investigate the possible role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) neuroprotection and optic nerve regeneration after optic nerve crush (ONC).

Methods

Overexpression of proteins of interest (ATF3, phosphatase and tensin homolog [PTEN], placental alkaline phosphatase, green fluorescent protein) in the retina was achieved by intravitreal injections of recombinant adenovirus-associated viruses (rAAVs) expressing corresponding proteins. The number of RGCs and αRGCs was evaluated by immunostaining retinal sections and whole-mount retinas with antibodies against RNA binding protein with multiple splicing (RBPMS) and osteopontin, respectively. Axonal regeneration was assessed via fluorophore-coupled cholera toxin subunit B labeling. RGC function was evaluated by recording positive scotopic threshold response.

Results

The level of ATF3 is preferentially elevated in osteopontin⁺/RBPMS⁺ αRGCs following ONC. Overexpression of ATF3 by intravitreal injection of rAAV 2 weeks before ONC promoted RBPMS⁺ RGC survival and preserved RGC function as assessed by positive scotopic threshold response recordings 2 weeks after ONC. However, overexpression of ATF3 and simultaneous downregulation of PTEN, a negative regulator of the mTOR pathway, combined with ONC, only moderately promoted short distance RGC axon regeneration (200 μm from the lesion site) but did not provide additional RGC neuroprotection compared with PTEN downregulation alone.

Conclusions

These results reveal a neuroprotective effect of ATF3 in the retina following injury and identify ATF3 as a promising agent for potential treatments of optic neuropathies.

Glial cell ecology in zebrafish development and regeneration

Zebrafish have been found to be the premier model organism in biological and biomedical research, specifically offering many advantages in developmental biology and genetics. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has the ability to regenerate its spinal cord after injury. However, the complete molecular and cellular mechanisms behind glial bridge formation in zebrafish remains unclear. In our review paper, we examine the extracellular and intracellular molecular signaling factors that control zebrafish glial cell bridging and glial cell development in the forebrain. The interplay between initiating and terminating molecular feedback cycles deserve future investigations during glial cell growth, movement, and differentiation.

Bioinformatic identification of key candidate genes and pathways in axon regeneration after spinal cord injury in zebrafish

Zebrafish and human genomes are highly homologous; however, despite this genomic similarity, adult zebrafish can achieve neuronal proliferation, regeneration and functional restoration within 6–8 weeks after spinal cord injury, whereas humans cannot. To analyze differentially expressed zebrafish genes between axon-regenerated neurons and axon-non-regenerated neurons after spinal cord injury, and to explore the key genes and pathways of axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury, microarray GSE56842 was analyzed using the online tool, GEO2R, in the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Gene ontology and protein-protein interaction networks were used to analyze the identified differentially expressed genes. Finally, we screened for genes and pathways that may play a role in spinal cord injury repair in zebrafish and mammals. A total of 636 differentially expressed genes were obtained, including 255 up-regulated and 381 down-regulated differentially expressed genes in axon-regenerated neurons. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment results were also obtained. A protein-protein interaction network contained 480 node genes and 1976 node connections. We also obtained the 10 hub genes with the highest correlation and the two modules with the highest score. The results showed that spectrin may promote axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury in zebrafish. Transforming growth factor beta signaling may inhibit repair after spinal cord injury in zebrafish. Focal adhesion or tight junctions may play an important role in the migration and proliferation of some cells, such as Schwann cells or neural progenitor cells, after spinal cord injury in zebrafish. Bioinformatic analysis identified key candidate genes and pathways in axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury in zebrafish, providing targets for treatment of spinal cord injury in mammals.

Zebrafish as a translational regeneration model to study the activation of neural stem cells and role of their environment

The review is an overview of the current knowledge of neuronal regeneration properties in mammals and fish. The ability to regenerate the damaged parts of the nervous tissue has been demonstrated in all vertebrates. Notably, fish and amphibians have the highest capacity for neurogenesis, whereas reptiles and birds are able to only regenerate specific regions of the brain, while mammals have reduced capacity for neurogenesis. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a promising model of study because lesions in the brain or complete cross-section of the spinal cord are followed by an effective neuro-regeneration that successfully restores the motor function. In the brain and the spinal cord of zebrafish, stem cell activity is always able to re-activate the molecular programs required for central nervous system regeneration. In mammals, traumatic brain injuries are followed by reduced neurogenesis and poor axonal regeneration, often insufficient to functionally restore the nervous tissue, while spinal injuries are not repaired at all. The environment that surrounds the stem cell niche constituted by connective tissue and stimulating factors, including pro-inflammation molecules, seems to be a determinant in triggering stem cell proliferation and/or the trans-differentiation of connective elements (mainly fibroblasts). Investigating and comparing the neuronal regeneration in zebrafish and mammals may lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind neurogenesis, and the failure of the regenerative response in mammals, first of all, the role of inflammation, considered the main inhibitor of the neuronal regeneration.

Cellular Dynamics during Spinal Cord Regeneration in Larval Zebrafish

The study of spinal cord regeneration using diverse animal models, which range from null to robust regenerative capabilities, is imperative for understanding how regeneration evolved and, eventually, to treat spinal cord injury and paralysis in humans. In this study, we used electroablation to fully transect the spinal cord of zebrafish larvae (3 days postfertilization) and examined regeneration of the tissue over time. We used transgenic lines to follow immune cells, oligodendrocytes, and neurons in vivo during the entire regenerative process. We observed that immune cells are recruited to the injury site, oligodendrocytes progenitor cells (olig2-expressing cells) invade, and axons cross the gap generated upon damage from anterior to reinnervate caudal structures. Together with the recovery of cell types and structures, a complete reversal of paralysis was observed in the lesioned larvae indicating functional regeneration. Finally, using transplantation to obtain mosaic larvae with single-labeled neurons, we show that severed spinal axons exhibited varying regenerative capabilities and plasticity depending on their original dorsoventral position in the spinal cord.

Imaging spinal cord activity in behaving animals

The spinal cord is the primary neurological link between the brain and peripheral organs. How important it is in everyday life is apparent in patients with spinal cord injury or motoneuron disease, who have dramatically reduced musculoskeletal control or capacity to sense their environment. Despite its crucial role in sensory and motor processing little is known about the cellular and molecular signaling events that underlie spinal cord function under naturalistic conditions. While genetic, electrophysiological, pharmacological, and circuit tracing studies have revealed important roles for different molecularly defined neurons, these approaches insufficiently describe the moment-to-moment neuronal and non-neuronal activity patterns that underlie sensory-guided motor behaviors in health and disease. The recent development of imaging methods for real-time interrogation of cellular activity in the spinal cord of behaving mice has removed longstanding technical obstacles to spinal cord research and allowed new insight into how different cell types encode sensory information from mechanoreceptors and nociceptors in the skin. Here, we review the current state-of-the-art in interrogating cellular and microcircuit function in the spinal cord of behaving mammals and discuss current opportunities and technological challenges.

Neuronal expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor in the injured telencephalon of adult zebrafish

The reparative ability of the central nervous system varies widely in the animal kingdom. In the mammalian brain, the regenerative mechanisms are very limited and newly formed neurons do not survive longer, probably due to a non-suitable local environment. On the opposite, fish can repair the brain after injury, with fast and complete recovery of damaged area. The brain of zebrafish, a teleost fish widely used as vertebrate model, also possesses high regenerative properties after injury. Taking advantage of this relevant model, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the regenerative ability of adult brain, after stab wound telencephalic injury. BDNF is involved in many brain functions and plays key roles in the repair process after traumatic brain lesions. It has been reported that BDNF strengthens the proliferative activity of neuronal precursor cells, facilitates the neuronal migration toward injured areas, and shows survival properties due to its anti-apoptotic effects. BDNF mRNA levels, assessed by quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization at 1, 4, 7, and 15 days after the lesion, were increased in the damaged telencephalon, mostly suddenly after the lesion. Double staining using in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry revealed that BDNF mRNA was restricted to cells identified as mature neurons. BDNF mRNA expressing neurons mostly increased in the area around the lesion, showing a peak 1 day after the lesion. Taken together, these results highlight the role of BDNF in brain repair processes and reinforce the value of zebrafish for the study of regenerative neurogenesis.

Nature's Electric Potential: A Systematic Review of the Role of Bioelectricity in Wound Healing and Regenerative Processes in Animals, Humans, and Plants

Natural endogenous voltage gradients not only predict and correlate with growth and development but also drive wound healing and regeneration processes. This review summarizes the existing literature for the nature, sources, and transmission of information-bearing bioelectric signals involved in controlling wound healing and regeneration in animals, humans, and plants. It emerges that some bioelectric characteristics occur ubiquitously in a range of animal and plant species. However, the limits of similarities are probed to give a realistic assessment of future areas to be explored. Major gaps remain in our knowledge of the mechanistic basis for these processes, on which regenerative therapies ultimately depend. In relation to this, it is concluded that the mapping of voltage patterns and the processes generating them is a promising future research focus, to probe three aspects: the role of wound/regeneration currents in relation to morphology; the role of endogenous flux changes in driving wound healing and regeneration; and the mapping of patterns in organisms of extreme longevity, in contrast with the aberrant voltage patterns underlying impaired healing, to inform interventions aimed at restoring them.

Chondroitin sulfates do not impede axonal regeneration in goldfish spinal cord

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans produced in glial scar tissue are a major inhibitory factor for axonal regeneration after central nervous system injury in mammals. The inhibition is largely due to chondroitin sulfates, whose effects differ according to the sulfation pattern. In contrast to mammals, fish nerves spontaneously regenerate beyond the scar tissue after spinal cord injury, although the mechanisms that allow for axons to pass through the scar are unclear. Here, we used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of two chondroitin sulfates with different sulfation variants at the lesion site in goldfish spinal cord. The intact spinal cord was immunoreactive for both chondroitin sulfate-A (CS-A) and chondroitin sulfate-C (CS-C), and CS-A immunoreactivity overlapped extensively with glial processes positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein. At 1week after inducing the spinal lesion, CS-A immunoreactivity was observed in the cell bodies and extracellular matrix, as well as in glial processes surrounding the lesion center. At 2weeks after the spinal lesion, regenerating axons entering the lesion center overtook the CS-A abundant area. In contrast, at 1week after lesion induction, CS-C immunoreactivity was significantly decreased, and at 2weeks after lesion induction, CS-C immunoreactivity was observed along the regenerating axons entering the lesion center. The present findings suggest that after spinal cord injury in goldfish, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are deposited in the extracellular matrix at the lesion site but do not form an impenetrable barrier to the growth of regenerating axons.

E2F4 Promotes Neuronal Regeneration and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury in Zebrafish

Mammals exhibit poor recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI), whereas non-mammalian vertebrates exhibit significant spontaneous recovery after SCI. The mechanisms underlying this difference have not been fully elucidated; therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate these mechanisms. Using comparative transcriptome analysis, we demonstrated that genes related to cell cycle were significantly enriched in the genes specifically dysregulated in zebrafish SCI. Most of the cell cycle-related genes dysregulated in zebrafish SCI were down-regulated, possibly through activation of e2f4. Using a larval zebrafish model of SCI, we demonstrated that the recovery of locomotive function and neuronal regeneration after SCI were significantly inhibited in zebrafish treated with an E2F4 inhibitor. These results suggest that activation of e2f4 after SCI may be responsible, at least in part, for the significant recovery in zebrafish. This provides novel insight into the lack of recovery after SCI in mammals and informs potential therapeutic strategies.

RegenBase: a knowledge base of spinal cord injury biology for translational research

Spinal cord injury (SCI) research is a data-rich field that aims to identify the biological mechanisms resulting in loss of function and mobility after SCI, as well as develop therapies that promote recovery after injury. SCI experimental methods, data and domain knowledge are locked in the largely unstructured text of scientific publications, making large scale integration with existing bioinformatics resources and subsequent analysis infeasible. The lack of standard reporting for experiment variables and results also makes experiment replicability a significant challenge. To address these challenges, we have developed RegenBase, a knowledge base of SCI biology. RegenBase integrates curated literature-sourced facts and experimental details, raw assay data profiling the effect of compounds on enzyme activity and cell growth, and structured SCI domain knowledge in the form of the first ontology for SCI, using Semantic Web representation languages and frameworks. RegenBase uses consistent identifier schemes and data representations that enable automated linking among RegenBase statements and also to other biological databases and electronic resources. By querying RegenBase, we have identified novel biological hypotheses linking the effects of perturbagens to observed behavioral outcomes after SCI. RegenBase is publicly available for browsing, querying and download.

Database URL:http://regenbase.org

The scales and tales of myelination: using zebrafish and mouse to study myelinating glia

Myelin, the lipid-rich sheath that insulates axons to facilitate rapid conduction of action potentials, is an evolutionary innovation of the jawed-vertebrate lineage. Research efforts aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms governing myelination have primarily focused on rodent models; however, with the advent of the zebrafish model system in the late twentieth century, the use of this genetically tractable, yet simpler vertebrate for studying myelination has steadily increased. In this review, we compare myelinating glial cell biology during development and regeneration in zebrafish and mouse and enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of using each model to study myelination. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Myelin Evolution.

Neuronal labeling patterns in the spinal cord of adult transgenic Zebrafish

We describe neuronal patterns in the spinal cord of adult zebrafish. We studied the distribution of cells and processes in the three spinal regions reported in the literature: the 8th vertebra used as a transection injury site, the 15th vertebra mainly used for motor cell recordings and also for crush injury, and the 24th vertebra used to record motor nerve activity. We used well-known transgenic lines in which expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) is driven by promoters to hb9 and isl1 in motoneurons, alx/chx10 and evx1 interneurons, ngn1 in sensory neurons and olig2 in oligodendrocytes, as well as antibodies for neurons (HuC/D, NF and SV2) and glia (GFAP). In isl1:GFP fish, GFP-positive processes are retained in the upper part of ventral horns and two subsets of cell bodies are observed. The pattern of the transgene in hb9:GFP adults is more diffuse and fibers are present broadly through the adult spinal cord. In alx/chx10 and evx1 lines we respectively observed two and three different GFP-positive populations. Finally, the ngn1:GFP transgene identifies dorsal root ganglion and some cells in dorsal horns. Interestingly some GFP positive fibers in ngn1:GFP fish are located around Mauthner axons and their density seems to be related to a rostrocaudal gradient. Many other cell types have been described in embryos and need to be studied in adults. Our findings provide a reference for further studies on spinal cytoarchitecture. Combined with physiological, histological and pathological/traumatic approaches, these studies will help clarify the operation of spinal locomotor circuits of adult zebrafish.

A Rehabilomics framework for personalized and translational rehabilitation research and care for individuals with disabilities: Perspectives and considerations for spinal cord injury

Despite many people having similar clinical presentation, demographic factors, and clinical care, outcome can differ for those sustaining significant injury such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition to traditional demographic, social, and clinical factors, variability also may be attributable to innate (including genetic, transcriptomic proteomic, epigenetic) biological variation that individuals bring to recovery and their unique response to their care and environment. Technologies collectively called "-omics" enable simultaneous measurement of an enormous number of biomolecules that can capture many potential biological contributors to heterogeneity of injury/disease course and outcome. Due to the nature of injury and complex disease, and its associations with impairment, disability, and recovery, rehabilitation does not lend itself to a singular "protocolized" plan of therapy. Yet, by nature and by necessity, rehabilitation medicine operates as a functional model of "Personalized Care". Thus, the challenge for successful programs of translational rehabilitation care and research is to identify viable approaches to examine broad populations, with varied impairments and functional limitations, and to identify effective treatment responses that incorporate personalized protocols to optimize functional recovery. The Rehabilomics framework is a translational model that provides an "-omics" overlay to the scientific study of rehabilitation processes and multidimensional outcomes. Rehabilomics research provides novel opportunities to evaluate the neurobiology of complex injury or chronic disease and can be used to examine methods and treatments for person-centered care among populations with disabilities. Exemplars for application in SCI and other neurorehabilitation populations are discussed.

Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands: focus on spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in neuronal and glial death and the loss of axons at the injury site. Inflammation after SCI leads to the inhibition of tissue regeneration and reduced neuronal survival. In addition, the loss of axons after SCI results in functional loss below the site of injury accompanied by neuronal cell body's damage. Consequently, reducing inflammation and promoting axonal regeneration after SCI is a worthy therapeutic goal. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a transmembrane protein and receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily. RAGE is implicated in inflammation and neurodegeneration. Several recent studies demonstrated an association between RAGE and central nervous system disorders through various mechanisms. However, the relationship between RAGE and SCI has not been shown. It is imperative to elucidate the association between RAGE and SCI, considering that RAGE relates to inflammation and axonal degeneration following SCI. Hence, the present review highlights recent research regarding RAGE as a compelling target for the treatment of SCI.